Contract Labor
by Greydon Creed
Summary: What if Keitaro had some steel in his spine when he first arrived at the Hinata Inn? What put it there? And how will the tenants react?
1. Chapter 1

_title: Contract Labor_

_author: Greydon Creed_

_story type: Drama, Adventure, AU, some romance later. Some minor cross-overs with at least one other anime series. You have been warned, so the Canon Police beware._

_rating: M, for language and action-type violence._

_summary: What if Keitaro had some steel in his spine when he first showed up at the Hinata Inn? What put it there? And how will the tenants react?_

_note: I have adjust the ages of some of the tenants of the Hinata Inn. The older ones are still the same - Keitaro (20), Kitsune (19/20), Naru (18). The younger ones are now all in high school - Motoko (17), Shinobu (14), and Su (14).  
><em>

* * *

><p>Ch 1<p>

_"Funny how I never remembered this part of the property…"_

Standing at the foot of the hill, a young man looked at the stairway leading upwards. Set in a zig-zag pattern, the stairs ended at the base of a large residence set at the top of the hill. Giving an audible sigh, the man resettled the duffle bag on his shoulders before starting the long climb.

_"This better be worth it, Granny."_

The young man was not out of shape - far from it. In his not so distant past adventures, the man had sprinted through jungles, clawed his way up rocky mountainsides, and swam through ocean currents and riptides. And while he was quietly proud of what he had overcome in his life, it was not something he had enjoyed at the time - especially now, with a bag containing most of his worldly possessions on his back as he made the climb.

Coming up to the crest of the hill, the man stopped for a breather, looking at the house from a closer prospective. While it matched the memories of his youth, the grand old residence was looking a bit worn, with peeling paint showing weathered wood in various locations and overgrown shrubbery surrounding the house.

Hesitating at the front door, the young man finally thumbed the latch on the door and pushed it open. Stepping in, he looked around at the empty living room, seeing the signs of people living in the residence as well as similar signs of benign neglect; sofa cushions askew, books scattered on shelves and tables, dust apparent throughout.

"Granny, are you home? It's Keitaro - is anyone home?" Calling out in a loud voice, he bent down and pulled off his boots, not wanting to track dirt into the house. Straightening up, Keitaro Urashima picked up his boots and looked about, not hearing any response to his call.

"Ok, this is starting to get a little creepy." Searching through his childhood memories, Keitaro turned and located the hallway leading to his Granny's room. But once he found the manager's room, he found that the door was locked and no one answering his knock.

Moving back to the living room, Keitaro dropped his duffle bag and boots beside the sofa. Deciding to look around the old inn, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Catching the faint whiff of sulfur, Keitaro turned in that direction. "The hot springs it is.

Finding the double doors marked with the sign "The Renown Hinata Inn Hot Springs - Mixed Bathing", Keitaro slowly pushed the door open. After calling out and getting no response again, Keitaro walked through the scrub down area and found himself outside next to a large steaming pool edged with large uneven rocks, the vapor rising from the water almost obscuring his vision. Only a faint breeze keep the steam moving.

Sore not only from the long climb, but from the lengthy train and trolley trip from the airport to get to the Hinata-Sou, Keitaro decided he needed to rest some, and soaking in the hot spring sounded like a capital idea. Going back to his duffle to dig out his swim trunks (the sign on the door did say mixed bathing after all), Keitaro promptly scrubbed off the sweat and grime of the trip, and was shortly relaxing in the spring, letting the just short of scalding water soak into his aching muscles and joints.

Keitaro had heard of the dangers of falling asleep in the baths, especially if you were by yourself. He had always thought it was a pretty dumb way to die, at least compared to other methods of accidental domestic mortality - falls, electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning. That said, Keitaro was getting a little too relaxed in the bath, which explained why he did not hear the sounds of movement in the rest of the house, including the scrub room door opening, until a decidedly young **female**voice spoke up fairly close to him.

"I was looking forward to this all day, Kitsune. Cram school is driving me out of my mind, especially with all the perverts leering at me."

Keitaro came to full consciousness with a slight jerk; moving his wristwatch close to his face, the luminous dial showed he had been in the bath for half an hour. About to speak up to announce himself, the girl's next words brought his greeting to an abrupt halt.

"Those perverts keep staring at my chest even though I'm dressing down for class. What do you think Kitsune, are my boobs getting bigger?"

Out of the mist rising from the spring stepped a girl… a very attractive… very undressed girl, wearing only a towel wrapped around her hips, her long brown hair spilling over her shoulders and partially covering her ample chest. A chest he got up close and personal with when the girl stepped up, and taking hold of his hand, which he still had above the water from when he checked his watch, she pressed against her chest.

In shock Keitaro instinctively squeezed the firm yet soft skinned mound, the girl giving a slight moan when she said, "Kitsune, your hand has gotten bigger…" Pausing for a moment, she squeezed her hand on top of his, which caused his hand to slightly clench as well. "And rougher…" Stepping closer, the girl squinted at Keitaro before somehow producing from **somewhere**a pair of fairly thick lens horn-rimmed eyeglasses and sliding them on. "Just like…" The girl was almost nose to nose with him when she shrieked "… A MAN!"

Throwing himself backwards, Keitaro was able to heave himself from the spring and away the girl when she unleashed a monster haymaker, her fist missing his nose by less than a centimeter. Scrabbling backwards, Keitaro would have started to try and explain himself when the girl kept screaming at him. "PEEPER! LECH! PERVERT! DEGENERATE!"

Deciding that retreat would be a wise idea at this time, Keitaro somehow got his feet under him and launched himself toward the scrub room door, the girl pulling herself out of the pool and giving chase, holding her towel closed with one hand while waving her fist at him. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Barely getting the sliding door open without ripping it off it's tracks, Keitaro ran into a younger girl standing on the other side holding a basket of laundry. Angling himself, he was able to keep from falling onto the girl, however, the basket flew up and spilled it's contents on his head, leaving his head and shoulders strewn with… girls undergarments. Wonderful.

Hearing the door he had just through coming crashing off it's tracks, Keitaro looked over his shoulder, the rather nice lacy black bra hanging off part of his glasses not obstructing his view of his pursuer's eyes widening at his current mode of dress before almost literally turning red and having hair strands spring up forming demon horns. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Launching himself out of the room again, Keitaro started running toward the living room and the front door, pulling the various undies off himself as he ran. Starting to skid as his wet feet slid along the waxed wooded floor, he came to a stop at the hall intersection, carefully pulling the lacy bra off his glasses, which for some reason had gotten tangled on the hinge.

Looking up, Keitaro saw there was another girl standing in the hallway. About the same age as himself and the first girl, she had short ash-blonde hair and partially closed eyes, lending a look of mischief to her features.

Behind him, the angry girl's voice bellowed out, "KITSUNE! THERE'S A PERVERT IN THE HOUSE! HELP ME CATCH HIM!"

With a feeling of dread, Keitaro watched as the mischief on the girl's face turned into a full smirk as she yelled out, "HE'S RIGHT HERE, NARU! AND HE'S GOT YOUR FANCY LACE BRA ON HIS FACE!"

Almost choking at the implication, Keitaro spun around as he heard feet pounding in the hall behind him. Skidding around the corner, the girl came to a stop, now wearing a belted bathing robe but the anger on her face unchanging. Looking around quickly, and seeing that the Kitsune girl (given her fox-like features and demeanor, it was no surprise) was blocking his way to the living room, and the angry Naru girl was blocking the hall back to the springs, Keitaro turned and bolted up the stairs at the end of the hall.

Which turned out to be not such a good idea, as the first thing he saw once he got to the head of the stairs was a turtle… a giant mechanical turtle… with a young tanned blonde girl astride it's back, a wide grin on her face. But what stopped Keitaro dead in his tracks was the question she cried out in a loud voice; "Naru, what's a pervert? Is it good to eat?"

Keitaro cringed when the angry voice from below yelled in reply, "No Su, it's a bad man! Don't let him get near you!"

"OK! I'll use MechaTama's new weapons to stop him!" With a new feeling of dread, Keitaro watched as the grinning girl started rapidly punching the controls before her, resulting in a pair of rocket pods unfolding out the turtle's shell. "Anti-personnel rockets armed and ready!"

Keitaro did not need to hear anything else; spinning around he dove down the stairway he had just come up, knocking over the angry bath girl as she was coming up - which was a good thing, as with twin roars the mecha-turtle launched two mini-rockets which detonated at the end of the hallway at the head of the stairs. There was little damage to the building, but the blasts knocked Keitaro and the girl down the stairs until they wound up in a crumpled heap, with Keitaro on top of the girl, his legs between her open ones, his hands pressing down on her boobs.

Hearing a low growl come from her throat that would not have been out of place from a rabid Rottweiler, Keitaro did not even try to explain or excuse himself. Pushing himself away from her (which resulted in a yelp from the girl as his weight pressed against her chest), Keitaro started to run again, recognizing the hallway as the one leading to the living room, where hopefully he could grab his bag and boots on the way out the door. Alas, that was not to be.

Standing right next to his bag in the middle of the living room was a swordsman… no, a swords_woman_. Dressed in a white gi and black hakama, long black hair streaming down her back, a furious expression on her face, she was holding a real live steel katana at the ready in her hands. Seeing him skid to a stop in front of her, her face got even more angry.

"Foul creature! Your days of depravity end here! _**Rock Splitting Sword**_!" Wide eyed, Keitaro watched as energy formed on the blade as she swung the sword around to aim it at him. Not taking any chances, he dove for the floor as an energy blast roared over his back, feeling the heat on his bare back.

Seeing that the blast had missed him, the swordswoman snarled in anger. "You won't get away that easily, defiler of women! _**Evil Splitting Blade**_!" Seeing a new energy attack forming on her blade, Keitaro frantically rolled to the right, seeing the blast tear up the wooden floor boards he had just been laying on.

Keitaro realized he had gone into tachypsychia as everything had slowed to half speed. He could see that the swordswoman was bringing her weapon around for another attack, and that he would not be able to get around her before she launched it at him. Plus, the angry bath girl was still coming up behind him. Fighting against someone hand to hand was one thing, but going up against an armed opponent changed the rules completely. Spinning around on the floor so he was facing the swordswoman, he planted his feet under him and launched himself at her.

* * *

><p>Motoko Aoyama was getting angrier than she had ever been. Dealing with the perverts at school was one thing. Their behavior could be dealt with a light (for her) tap with her boken practice sword. The perverts in public places such as the infamously crowded trains were another; gropers were usually taken care of with a broken finger or wrist. But now they were invading the sanctity of the Hinata Inn to inflict their depravities on the residents of the all-girls dorm. What was even worse was that the half-naked pervert before her had already dodged two of her special attacks.<p>

Bringing her sword around to prepare for another attack, Motoko was surprised to see that the lecherous male was throwing himself at her, and her sword was out of position to strike at him. At most she could use the sword as a high guard, but the man was going low toward her legs.

Spinning around and away from him, Motoko felt the male's shoulder strike her left thigh, knocking her away from him and almost costing her balance. Staggering for a moment, she rapidly turned back to face her opponent when she was shocked to see him holding the sheath of her sword in his hands, gripping it at one end like it was a boken. He must have snatched it from her belt when he collided with her.

Snapping her eyes up to his, Motoko saw his facial expression had changed. Where as before he had confusion and uncertainty in his eyes, now there was a cold confidence, as though he no longer feared the outcome of this battle.

"I don't want to fight you. I can explain myself if you let me talk." The man's flat voice was a perfect compliment to the expression on his face.

"There is nothing to explain here, foul demon. Perhaps the police will be interested in hearing your lies once I am done with you!" Motoko dropped into the standard ready position of the God's Cry School of Swordsmanship, her katana at the ready.

"So be it. It is on your head." The man dropped into his own guard position, one that looked familiar but she could not call to mind. He did not wait for long before Motoko made her first attack.

Instead of attacking her blade dead on, the male instead whipped the wooden sheath at the flat of the blade, knocking it away from it's deadly arc toward his shoulder. Instead of either locking up with the sheath or hitting it's target at shoulder level, the blade went past his arm and toward the floor, leaving her off balance. The male instantly took advantage of this, stepping past the staggering swordswoman and while tripping her leg and throwing her to the floor, swung the sheath at the upper part of her right arm, hitting her funny bone and causing her to drop her sword to her horror.

Landing face-down on the floor, Motoko was barely able to roll over before the male was stepping toward her and bending down. Seeing the look of anger on her face, and that she was not going to give up the fight, the male said something in English that even though she understood what he said, she did not know what he meant by it.

"Say Goodnight, Gracie." Whipping the sheath around with one hand, it hit Motoko above and behind her left ear. Darkness crashed down upon her.

* * *

><p>"…I don't care who you are, you don't belong here. This is an all-girls dorm!" The voice sounded like Naru's, but now the piercing quality of it did not help with the throbbing headache she was now feeling.<p>

"And I keep telling you, I'm just here to see my grandmother. I have the letter in my bag if you want to see it." Male voice, medium pitched, but still annoying.

"Who cares if your granny told you to come here, this is an ALL-GIRLS DORMATORY! You can't stay here! Especially if you are going to be hiding in the hot springs to peep on us!" Naru's voice was getting higher and higher.

"The sign on the springs door said MIXED BATHING! I had used it before as a kid, and since there was no one there I decided to take a soak. I even put on shorts. You are the one that came into the spring in only a towel."

"Yeah, and you groped me!"

"Only after you thought I was your friend Kitsune and grabbed my hand and put it on your chest! What's the matter, upset it wasn't your girlfriend with her hand on your boob?"

"It's different for friends, you PERVERT!"

Motoko was finally able to force her eyes open, wincing at the daylight in the living room. Looking around, she saw that she was laying on the couch, while Naru, Kitsune, Shinobu, and Su were standing at one end of the couch in a group by the door, while the young male was standing facing them at the other end of the couch, holding her sword and her sheath in his hands.

It took a moment for Motoko to realize what was wrong with that picture, and it was not the young male or his state of undress. He was holding the sword in his left hand in a reverse grip, the blade come out the bottom of his fist. Unless he was **very** skilled, it was not a fighting position. It was more to show that the holder was deliberately not ready to fight with the sword. However, the sheath to the sword was held in the male's right hand, and that one **was**in a proper fighting grip. While strikes with a sheath were not overly dangerous, they would still take someone out, as Motoko would attest to.

However, while a trained sword fighter could tell that the male was in as unthreatening a position as could be done while holding a sword, most people would only see that the person was armed with a sword. Which explained why Naru had not attacked the male even though they were arguing so vehemently.

"So it would be OK for me grab a male friend's hand, say, 'Oh, I think my pecs are bigger, feel me,' and put it to my chest? I don't think so, lady." The male flicked his eyes over and saw that Motoko was now watching them argue. "By the way, your friend is awake."

The girls rushed over to Motoko and while they fussed over her, the male stepped further from them. After a moment, she was able to sit up on the couch. The other girls circled around her and faced back toward the male, who was standing in a stance that was a little too casual to be real, especially for a person wearing only swim shorts.

"Look Miss, I'm sorry I had to hit you, but you and your friends weren't giving me a chance to explain myself. Once you passed out, the girls were finally willing to talk things out." The male's eyes were flicking between Motoko and Naru, presumably because he thought they were the most dangerous to him.

"Yeah, after you assaulted poor Motoko! You could have cracked her head open!" Naru was standing with her hands on her hips, leaning forward and practically screaming aggressiveness with her stance.

"Poor Motoko," the sarcasm was almost dripping from the male's words, "not only was armed with a real sword, she was launching energy attacks at me with it, something I didn't think was possible anymore! I'm not going to let myself be barbequed because some girls in a blind rage won't listen to me." The male shifted his feet, angling himself into a position where Motoko could see that he could block any attack upon him with the bared sword, either with the flat of the blade, or the razor sharp edge.

Thankfully, while Naru was short-tempered and impulsive, she was not stupid. Even though it was unconscious, the sight of the gleaming sword was enough to keep her from attacking for now.

"What are you doing at this place? As Naru told you, this is a dorm for school aged girls." Motoko was still woozy, but her head was starting to clear. Lightly touching the side of her head, she winced slightly at the tender welt she could feel under her hair.

"I was told to come see my grandmother here. This used to be an inn, so I didn't think there would be a problem." The male's eyes were flicking over all the girls now. "I got here, no one was home, I decided to use the hot spring, and then Ms. 'Are My Boobs Bigger Now?' came in and took exception to the fact I was there. She swung on me, I started running, and the rest I think you know."

"Well, now I know you are lying, because we are the only people living here! This place hasn't been an inn for five years!" Naru had a snarling expression on her face.

"You are not the only people living here, Narusegawa." Hearing a new voice coming from the doorway, everyone turned to see an older female wearing a teahouse apron, looking to be in her thirties, with short dark hair, a bored expression on her face, and a lit cigarette in hand. "Hina and I live here too." Looking over toward the male, her lips moved into a half-smirk. "Looking good there, Kei."

"Yeah, well, my bath got interrupted. Good to see you too, Aunt Haruka."

The smirk on Haruka's face turned into a frown. Moving faster than expected, she stopped in front of him and abruptly flicked him on the nose, causing him to flinch. "I'm your cousin, not your aunt. That makes me sound too old." There was a note of warning in her voice.

If he heard the warning in her voice, the male decided to ignore it. "You were my cousin, then you were adopted by Granny, that makes you my aunt. Unless you prefer another title, like Christmas Cake-san."

The younger girls seemed to stop breathing. Calling a Japanese woman a 'Christmas Cake' was a low blow, coming from the joke that unmarried women were like the traditional cake eaten for Christmas - not much good after the 25th. Haruka was in her early thirties and defiantly single. So even though she was a successful businesswoman in her own right, there were many people that would think there was something wrong if she was unmarried.

Looking back and forth between the scowl on Haruka's face and the semi-innocent look on the male's, the girls did not know what would happen. Which is why they were surprised to see Haruka give a sigh, then have a rueful smile form on her lips. "Still not taking crap from people, huh Keitaro?"

"Learned about that the hard way." Shocking everyone, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So where is the old bat, Aunt Haru?"

Rueful smile still on her face, Haruka shook her head. "Took off yesterday, something about a tour of the world's hot springs."

It was now the male's turn to look surprised. "The hell? I know she asked me to be here today, why would she leave a day early?"

"Maybe this has something to do with it." Haruka produced a legal sized manila envelope folded long-ways from her apron and handed it to him. She in turn took Motoko's sword and sheathed it so that he would be able to go through the envelope.

"Haruka-san? Who is this man?" The question came from Naru, who could not keep her silence any longer.

"This is my cousin slash nephew, Kei-kun." The smirk had come back on Haruka's face.

"Oh ha ha." The male looked up from the envelope he was unsealing. "I was last called that when I was 12 years old." Giving an abbreviated bow, he kept his eyes on the girls. "My name is Keitaro Urashima, grandson of Hina Urashima, owner of the Hinata Inn... and I guess dorm now."

"How long has it been since you came here last? You didn't even know this was a dorm." This question came from Kitsune, who had been quiet until now.

"Back when I was fourteen, before I started senior high school. I was too busy studying and practicing to come visit here, and Granny would come to my family's house to visit." Keitaro had broken the seal on the envelope and pulled some legal looking documents out. "All I know is that I got a message from Granny saying to be here by today, that it was important family business. Luckily I just got back to Tokyo, so I was able to make it." Looking over Haruka he asked, "Do you know what this is all about?"

"Yeah, but why ruin the surprise?" Haruka seemed grimly eager for something.

"This is a girl's dorm, Haruka-san, this male can not stay here, even if he is a family member of the owner." Motoko spoke up finally.

"You would be surprised, Motoko." Haruka's eyes were now focused on Keitaro, who was now reading the documents rapidly - and maybe even frantically.

Finally, his eyes snapped up to Haruka. "You have got to be shitting me." Keitaro's words were in English, his voice was flat, with a hint of incredulousness.

"I shit you not, nephew." Haruka was now smirking again as she replied in English before switching back to Japanese. "You are now the proud future owner and current manager of the Hinata Inn and the surrounding lands and properties."

The silence lasted for a few seconds before all Hell broke loose.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

The bedlam in the Hinata living room lasted for a couple of minutes, despite attempts by Haruka to quiet things down. Finally, Haruka put two fingers to her lips and let loose a long piercing whistle that cut through the ravings of Naru and Motoko.

"I knew you weren't going take this well girls, but jeez…" Haruka tried to make light of the situation, but the scowls on the faces of the older girls were unchanging. Looking over at Keitaro, she could see the stunned look was still in his eyes. "There's more about this I have to tell you, but it might be a good idea for you two to get dressed first." Naru flushed as she was reminded of her state of apparel. Keitaro just nodded. "Kei-kun, there is a washroom though that doorway, go there and put some clothes on, Naru you have your own room, be back here in five minutes."

After the allotted time had passed everyone reassembled in the living room, Naru wearing jeans and a high school athletics sweatshirt while Keitaro was wearing jeans and a faded black tee shirt with a stylized red 'M' symbol and the word 'MagPul' below it. "Since you all don't know my nephew here, please introduce yourselves." Haruka gestured toward the girls, who were standing in a rough line facing Haruka and Keitaro.

After a moment the ash blonde girl at the end of the line stepped forward. "My name is Mitsume Konno, but you can call me Kitsune." The nickname was apt; with her half closed eyes and a sly expression on her face, she indeed resembled the trickster fox of legend. With her curvy body and her height at about 160 cm, she looked to be about Keitaro's age. "I finished school a year ago and am working as a freelance magazine writer."

Switching places with her, the young tanned blonde girl jumped forward, and flashing a 'V' hand sign, she exclaimed, "Hi, my name is Kaolla Su! I'm a princess from the island of MolMol, and I go to school with Shinobu-chan!" The girl looked to be about 14 or 15 years old and was wearing a schoolgirl uniform, the hem of which kept almost flipping up as she was bouncing in place. If there was ever a poster child for hyperactivity, she was it.

Jumping back, her place was taken by another girl who looked to be her age but otherwise would not look more different. With shoulder length black hair, a rounded face, and what looked to be a permanent blush, she clasped her hands in front of the apron she was wearing and gave a deep bow. "My name is… Shinobu… Maehara. I attend school… with Kaolla-chan… and I work here… to help with my rent." Keitaro gave her a small smile and returned her bow with a slightly less deep one, bringing frowns anew to the faces of the last two girls.

Stepping forward, Naru planted her fists on her hips and scowled. "My name is Naru Narusegawa, I graduated from high school last year, and I'm studying at prep school to take the Todai exam. I don't like men, and I HATE perverts!" Naru looked to be slightly younger than Keitaro and about the same height of 170 cm, with a slender yet curvy build. Her long honey blond hair was pulled back in a pony tail

Stepping next to her the last girl spoke up. "I am Motoko Aoyama, heir to the God's Cry School of Swordfighting. I am in my last year of high school and I plan to study afterwards to attend Kyoto University." This girl looked to be younger than Keitaro was, but she was about 5 cm taller with a slender athletic build. Her long black hair was worn swept back behind her ears and down to about the middle of her back, with bangs cut across her forehead.

Seeing the last girl step back, Keitaro took a step forward and gave a brief bow, yet kept his eyes up and focused on the girls. "As you already know, my name is Keitaro Urashima, and I am the grandson of Hina and the nephew of Haruka. I graduated from high school a year ago and went to do some work overseas after that. My goal is to attend Todai as well, so I studied while I was working last year, and I plan to study some more before retaking it this year."

"Retake the test? You took the Todai test before, right out of high school?" The tone of Naru's voice wavered between surprise and disbelief. The exam to enter Todai (the University of Tokyo) was so difficult, most applicants took a full year to study after graduating high school before attempting it. "How badly did you mess up?"

Keitaro and Haruka both gave a faint scowl at the rudeness of Naru's question. "I had a preliminary score in the 95th percentile, but then I had some bad things happen in my life, and I was in no way ready to take the test when I did. I only did it because of a promise I had made. I barely missed making the reserve list." The reserve list were people who had passed the test but did not get a high enough score to be immediately admitted to the school. Instead, they waited in a form of limbo for accepted students to not enter for one reason or another to take their place. About 100 students made the reserve list; less than ten got picked from it to enter Todai.

Haruka looked from the frowning Keitaro to the outright scowling look on Naru's face. Sighing, she dug under her apron and pulled out another envelope, this one of the type that usually contained letters. "I'm guessing that Granny knew that you weren't going to see her today, so she left me this letter to give to you." She handed it over to Keitaro, who slid a finger under the flap and opened it.

"When did she give you this?" Keitaro pulled out a couple of sheets of paper, which were covered with hand-written ideograms.

"Day before yesterday," Haruka replied, wincing slightly at the look Keitaro gave at her. The timing pretty much proved that Hina had no intention of meeting with him when she had summoned him.

As Keitaro settled himself on his feet to read the letter, Haruka dug into an apron pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Shaking one out into her mouth, she raised the lighter up and was about to spark it up when without looking up from the letter Keitaro said one word. "Don't."

"Huh?" Haruka and the older girls looked shocked at hearing the command.

"There are children present, and I hate the smell of cigarettes. You want to poison yourself, you can go outside." Keitaro kept reading the letter.

"You didn't care about me smoking before, Kei-kun." Haru kept her lighter near the cigarette.

"I cared, I just didn't say anything before. It's something I learned overseas - smoking kills." A pair of brown eyes behind squared off glasses locked onto a pair of darker eyes. "Please don't."

After a moment, Haruka sighed. Leaving the smoke between her lips, she tucked the lighter away, bringing a look of surprise to the girls, who would have never thought that the erstwhile housemother would take orders regarding her vice like that.

After a minute of near silence Keitaro gave a low growl as he finished reading the letter. Abruptly handing the letter back to Haruka, he walked over to the large window facing Tokyo Bay and leaned his head forward, his forehead against the cool glass, eyes closed. "You know what's in that letter, Haru?"

Haruka looked from Keitaro to the loose sheets in her hand. "No, Granny just told me that it would tell you about taking over the Hinata Inn."

"Go ahead and read it; read it out loud. These girls need to know." Keitaro stepped back, but kept facing the window.

"If you're sure," Haruka had a sudden feeling of foreboding. Straightening the papers in her hand, she faced the suddenly rapt faces of the tenants of the Hinata and began to read.

_Dearest Keitaro,_

_As you now realize, I left before you were to arrive from overseas even though I am the one who summoned you here. Please forgive an old woman her weaknesses; I knew that if I were to speak face to face with you about this, I would not be able to continue with this course of action._

_The Hinata-sou has been the ancestral home the Urashima family for almost two centuries. At first it was a keep of a family of hatamoto (1), then after the Meiji Reformation, of scholars and researchers in the scientific arts. Those advisors and teachers were also warriors, who even though they were not widely known, were almost always closely trusted by those who they served._

_As the family got larger and married off into various families, the number of family increased, even as the number of people who bore the proud name of Urashima decreased. Now the only direct descendents of that family are myself, my son and your father Kouji, Haruka, and yourself._

_As time passed, the holdings of the Hinata-sou decreased. From an initial holding of 20,000 koku (2) which encompassed what is now Hinata City and almost a quarter of the prefecture to the now ten hectares of the hill and lands surrounding what is now the Hinata Inn. However, since this land was given to the Urashima family under an Imperial grant at the request of the Shogun (who a Urashima had given his life to protect in a coup attempt involving members of the Shogun's family) it is under a special tax exemption so long as it held by a direct descendant bearing the name of the family. Should there no longer be a direct descendant, the property owners would be taxed at current rates or the owners can let the property revert to Imperial control; the remaining descendants would be paid fair market value and the property would stay under Imperial control (not government ownership; since the land had been the property of the Emperor when it was given our family, it would be the property of the Chrysanthemum Throne. If that is the case, the property would probably be made into a park or nature preserve)._

_Why this long explanation? Simply put Keitaro, you are the only direct descendent left who can hold the property. Your father has his pastry and bakery business, and Haruka has the Hinata Teahouse. I could ask either of them to take over the Hinata-sou, but it would probably require them to shut down their own business. As the Hinata-sou was never was a great generator of income (the Inn was set up to pay the taxes and expenses of the property, and it does not produce much more than that), it would cause a hardship to your family to do so, and Haruka can not really run the property by herself._

_You are the only hope of the Hinata-sou, Keitaro. I know that you are still working to keep your promise to enter Todai, and that you planned to study this year to do so. But with the help of the tenants you have now met, and hopefully are doing well with, and with Haruka's and Kanako's help, you will be able to continue operating the Hinata-sou, either as a dorm or reopening it as a hot springs resort inn, while still studying for and attending Todai._

_Therefore, I have made you my heir, both of the property of the Urashima family in Hinata City and of the family itself. When I pass into the next world (not that I am planning to do so anytime soon, there are still a few things this old woman wants to do!) you will become the head of the Urashima family; I have already spoken with Kouji and Haruka and they agree._

_I know you always keep your promises, my beloved grandson, and that you have always had a stronger will than most people give you credit for. It is this strength I am hoping you will use to work to protect our family home. You have made me proud of your intelligence, your strength of will, and your physical courage (I heard from the government about what had happened during the expedition you were with in Thailand when you and your companions were evacuated back to Japan). It is this confidence in you that made me realize you were the one who could take on this giri (3) for your family._

_By my own hand, and with all my love,_

_Hinata Urashima_

After hearing nothing for more than a few moments, Keitaro turned away from the window and back toward the others in the room. The girls could see that his shoulders were slightly slumped before he straightened up and looked from one face to another.

The two younger girls were quiet, Kaolla abnormally so. She had stopped bouncing around and was looking somewhat solemn. Shinobu looked to almost have tears in her eyes.

Naru looked almost the same as before, although her anger had substantially decreased. Kitsune had a calculating look as she eyed Keitaro. Haruka had a slight look of sorrow.

However, the biggest change was on the face of Motoko. She was wide-eyed, as the revelation of Keitaro's lineage and of the family duty he had just been given had changed the way she had looked upon the new male in their home. Not that she trusted him, but it opened her eyes to new possibilities.

"I still don't want him here," Naru muttered in a low tone of voice; although not low enough as everyone turned to look at her. Anything they would have said was cut off by the male among them.

"That makes two of us, Naru-san." Everyone looked back at Keitaro. Walking up to Haruka, he took back Granny's letter and put it back in the envelope, then picked up his duffle bag. "Show me where I'm going to be staying, then lets go back to your teahouse. I need a drink or two of the good stuff you have stashed there." Haruka raised an eyebrow but nodded and lead Keitaro toward the stairs.

A thin female voice spoke up before they started climbing the stairs. "I… will have… dinner… ready in… an hour… Keitaro-sempai."

The two adults paused and looked back at Shinobu, who was blushing and poking her fingers together. Smiling slightly, Keitaro replied, "Thanks Shinobu-chan, I look forward to it." Seeing scowls form on Naru's and Motoko's faces, he merely turned away and continued walking up the stairs.

* * *

><p>1 - <em>hatamoto<em>- samurai retainers who directly served the Shogun

2 - _koku_ - measure of land worth during the pre-Meiji era. A _koku _of land in theory produced 150 kg/330 lbs of rice (what one person would consume in a year) or the monetary value thereof.

3 - _giri_- duty/burden of obligation. Failure to perform one's sworn or rightfully given duty in Japan, even in modern times, could have very serious consequences.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

After dropping off Keitaro's bag in Granny's room, and Haruka grabbing a loose-leaf binder from the desk in the room, the two walked out of the house and down the stairs toward the Teahouse. Almost as soon as Haruka cleared the doorway, she lit the cigarette still dangling from her lips and took a deep breath of nicotine goodness. Keitaro gave her a sideways glance but otherwise stayed silent as they walked down the steps and reached the teahouse.

Pointing Keitaro to a table in the empty shop, Haruka started puttering around behind the counter. After a couple of minutes, she returned to the table Keitaro was sitting at, holding a ceramic flask of liquor in one hand and two small cups in the other. Placing the cups next to the binder sitting unopened in front of Keitaro, Haruka sat down and then poured the liquor.

Picking up and holding the cup for a moment until Keitaro did the same, Haruka raised her cup slightly and gave the traditional drinking salute. "Kampai."

Keitaro murmured "Kampai" in reply, then shot down the drink in one gulp. Haruka almost expected Keitaro to start choking or coughing. But except for giving a loud exhale and his eyes watering some, Keitaro gave no other reaction to the potent drink.

After a moment of eyeing the unmarked flask the drink had come from, Keitaro looked back at a slightly disappointed Haruka. "I'm guessing that's not sake."

Haruka shook her head. "Shochu. Twice the punch. Warmed it up like sake though."

"Not bad." Keitaro gestured toward the flask, and Haruka refilled his cup. Holding it so the heated liquor warmed up his hand, Keitaro fixed his gaze on Haruka, who was sipping from her cup.

"Goddamn it, Granny…" Keitaro took a sip of his drink before putting it down.

"Yeah. I knew that she was going make you the heir and landlord, but I didn't think she was going to do it like this." Haruka was swirling the drink in her cup before glancing back at her nephew.

"I wouldn't have minded if Granny had just asked me to help her run the place, but this is BS. She knows I have to study for the Todai exam, and she dumps *this* in my lap? The work will be bad enough, especially since it looks like things have be sliding around here, but I'm going to have to deal with *those* tenants?" Keitaro looked like he wanted to shoot his drink again, but instead took another sip.

"Maybe she just wanted to fix you up with them?" Haruka was semi-joking as she said this, so she was surprised that Keitaro took her seriously.

"That would work out well. Two junior high girls, a trickster, a short-tempered man-hater, and a homicidal swordswoman that can throw energy blasts. And then there is me, a 20 year old ronin (1) with issues. Uh-huh, that's going to work out really well." Keitaro looked down at his half-empty cup before tossing down the rest of the drink.

"Well, it looks like you got past most of your issues. You did pretty well against the girls when they were after you." Haruka was looking from Keitaro to his empty cup, visibly considering if she should refill it or not.

"If you can call running for my life dealing with it. And one more, it's going to be the last." Nodding Haruka refilled Keitaro's cup, then her own.

After putting down the flask, Haruka pushed the binder over to in front of Keitaro. "That's the tenant book from Granny's desk. It gives you the details about the girls, you might want to go through it before you face off with them again."

Opening the book, Keitaro began to rapidly read the varied entries. Along with basic personal information on the tenants, there were notations about rent paid and due, repairs both done and needed, and at the end of the book a list of current Inn income, expenses, and bills.

After reading for twenty minutes Keitaro gave a sigh as he flipped the book shut. Finishing the last sip of the drink he had, he took off his glasses and started massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Is it that bad Keitaro?" Since Haruka was the de facto assistant manager of the Inn, she had worked with the books before, so she knew the current financial situation.

"No, it's not. But what Granny has been doing is just treading water. Just enough is done so the Hinata-sou can pay its bills. Granny herself did not have a lot of expenses, so the lack of income was not a problem for her. But asking someone to do as much work as is needed to fix this place up for room and board is a bit much, even if they are going to inherit it down the line." Keitaro put his glasses back on and looked back at his aunt.

"So you're going to turn the Sou back into a hot-springs resort? What about the dorm and the girls? They really don't have anywhere else to go."

"Yeah, and that's the other problem. Most of those girls have problems that would need a social worker to help with, not a ronin-turned-manager. I just *know* Narusegawa is going to be giving me flak just for breathing, Aoyama isn't going to be far behind, and judging from how late Konno usually is in making her rent payments, the amount she is in arrears and what I've seen of her, I'm pretty sure she is either going to try and scam me, or worse. That plus there are two freaking 14 year old girls with problems of their own in there; having a 20 year old male as their landlord is just going to look bad, period." Keitaro looked down at his empty cup before pushing it aside in disgust.

"Well, Granny already suggested one part of the solution in her letter. How hard would it be to get Kanako here?" Haruka was trying to look on the bright side of things, and latched onto the first thing she could think of.

"How hard to get her here? Not very. How hard it is to convince her that she is my adopted sister and not my designated bed warmer? Much more difficult." Keitaro dropped his head to the table and left it there.

"Well, it least you aren't blood related." The look Keitaro threw at his aunt would have curdled milk. "You know why Kanako feels the way she does."

"Oh yes, indeed-y. I was there for most of it. Problem is Kanako has picked up some of my traits along the way, one of which is about keeping promises, and you know the one she made." Keitaro dropped his head back to the table.

"She promised that she would take care of you, not that she would marry you or some such." Haruka rested her face on top of her hand, her arm braced against the tabletop.

"And if you can convince her of that, I would be *so* grateful. At least we got her past the whole 'How you say 'Hello' in Japan' phase." Keitaro gave a shudder at the memory. It was bad enough that someone would literally throw themselves at you with less than wholesome intentions in mind; it was worse when it was a 14 year old girl.

"So what are you going to do now? I mean in general." Haruka put a cigarette in her mouth, but due to the glare Keitaro shot her she did not light it for now.

Keitaro sighed. "Tonight I need to get some sleep, so as soon as dinner is done I'm hitting the rack. Tomorrow I'll do a top-to-bottom walkthrough of the Sou, see what need to be fixed up. From what I've seen, there is a lot of routine maintenance that need to be caught up with, so if the gods are willing, I can get it done before I have to start seriously studying for the Todai exam. It won't be such a big deal to re-open the place as a resort after that. The big problem is going to be personnel; I can't run a resort with only one or two people, so I may have to downscale the idea some, like making it a bed-and-breakfast and have some help from the tenants."

Haruka half-smiled. "Well, you won't have to look far if you are looking for a chef; Shinobu-chan cooks better than some restaurants around here."

"Yeah, and she's 14 years old. I can't depend on a minor going to school to do the amount of work needed." Raising his head from the table and looking at his wristwatch, Keitaro put his hands on the table and pushed himself up and off his chair. "Time to go and put Shinobu-chan's cooking to the test."

"As long as that is the only thing you put to the test." Haruka had a smirk on her face as she stood up as well.

"Oh hah hah. She's way too young for me. I prefer girls to be able to buy the booze and pay for the hotel room without illegal ID." Keitaro shook his head. "And don't make jokes like that around the girls, especially Aoyama and Narusegawa. They are going to attack first and maybe ask questions later."

Keitaro turned and started walking toward the door when Haruka's next question brought him to a halt. "You know, you haven't told me about Thailand. When is that going to happen?"

Standing facing away, Keitaro asked a question of his own. "How much do you know?"

"Not much. Just that the expedition you were on was attacked, and that you, Seta and his daughter Sarah made it back. Seta was badly injured, but he's expected to make a full recovery."

"You're curious about what happened?" Keitaro glanced back at his aunt.

"Yeah, but I've seen that look on your face before. It can wait, but I do want to hear about it."

After a moment Keitaro replied, "In a few days. We would need a lot more time and booze for me to talk it." Stepping forward again, he headed for the steps up to the house while Haruka locked the door behind her and hurried to catch up.

* * *

><p>It was a council of war, if the term could be applied to three teen girls.<p>

Sitting cross-legged around the heated kotatsu table in Naru's room, it would be hard to take them seriously, except for the fact that one girl was minutely examining a katana for damage and another girl was almost glowing in anger. The third girl was looking from one to the other, sipping from an unmarked bottle that the other girls were careful not to ask the contents of.

After a few moments of silence, the black haired sword girl finally sighed and wiped her blade with a silk cloth she had produced from the belt of her hakama. In one slow motion she sheathed the sword and leaned it against her lap next to her.

"Satisfied, Motoko?" The honey blonde knew better than to mock Motoko's sword or her skill with it; she had seen what happened to the upperclassman at the high school who had not only made fun of the girl but tried to snatch the blade away from her. The boy had wound up have to finish the school year in traction.

"You can never be too careful, especially when you do not know the person that wielded your sword last."

"What do you think the skill level is of our new dorm manager, Motoko?" Kitsune knew how touchy the swordswoman was about her skills, but she was genuinely curious about the newcomer.

Motoko scowled. "That would be difficult to say. While he was able to defeat me, it was by means of unconventional tactics and methods. I do not know what his true skill level is until I spar with him. I do know that he is not an opponent to underestimate." She paused for a moment. "His appearance is what is disconcerting to myself. He does not look very different from the males we deal daily around here, but there is one thing I have noticed that is unusual about him. His eyes."

Kitsune looked from the resident swordswoman to the glowering girl and back again. "Well, don't keep us in suspense, Motoko."

"This male's eyes do not stay still. It is not that obvious because he is only looking with his eyes and not turning his head while doing so, but his eyes do not stay on the same thing for very long. He is always aware of his surroundings, and he tends to focus on…" Motoko's voice trailed off. "Threats."

"What do you mean, threats?" Naru was starting to look interested in the conversation now.

"This male pays attention to those he considers threats. When you and I were standing before him, he kept looking mostly between the two of us. Even when he talking with someone else, his eyes kept coming back to us, and there was nothing perverted or lecherous in his gaze. He is a fighter that must be taken seriously."

"Wait, he was facing away from us when Haruka was reading the letter out loud, how is that keeping an eye on us?" Naru protested.

"I could see that he had angled himself so that he could see us in the reflection of the glass of the window he was in front of." Motoko had the slightest hint of admiration in her voice for the tactic.

"So, you sizing him up to be the next Mr. Aoyama?" Kitsune knew she should not tease her roommate in such a way, but what was life without a little risk?

Motoko stiffened in outrage. "Be serious, Kitsune! We know nothing about this male except what we just learned from his own lips and from his grandmother's letter. And that is something that should be of serious concern to us all."

"What, that he's a pervert? That's obvious, Motoko." Naru's expression had changed from a glower to a frown.

"No, I am referring to his lineage and his duty as given to him by Granny Hina. How much do you remember of your school studies of the feudal era, especially the shoguns?"

Naru shrugged. "Just the basics. The shoguns were the military leaders of feudal Japan, the true power behind the Imperial throne. They tended to pass down their position father to son, when the succession wasn't clear it tended to get messy."

Motoko nodded. "That is correct. The shoguns were the true heads of government, and therefore they had advisors around them, men of great power and responsibilities. These men were very much trusted, as they frequently worked closely with the leaders they served. These retainers were known as _hatamoto_, those under the banner. These samurai were always lords, and they were paid with grants of land or with a salary. For a family to be awarded 20,000 _koku_ of land and promoted to the ranks of the closest advisors due to the actions of one of their members was almost unheard of in the Tokugawa era."

"So you're ready to have this guy's babies because of something that happened a couple hundred years ago?" Kitsune was finishing off her bottle, so she missed seeing Motoko's hand moving over to the hilt of her sword. It was not until she lowered the bottle that she saw the tip of the sword sheath just in front of her eyes. She barely had time to blink before the sheath tapped her on the forehead, causing her to jerk her head back in shock.

"It would do you well to remember where the line of propriety is, Kitsune. A line you have passed a while ago." Motoko's sword was back alongside her, the swordswoman sitting straight and calm as though there was nothing bothering her.

Kitsune looked over to Naru, but the look on her best friend's face showed that while she was not happy about Motoko's corrective action, she was not about to complain about it. Swallowing the lump in the throat, Kitsune resolved to cut back on the risqué jokes about the touchy kendoist.

Naru did however share the fox girl's curiosity about the new male. "So you want to cut the pervert a break because of who he is descended from?"

Motoko hesitated for a moment. "That is not what I intended, although you may see it that way. You heard that Granny Hina made it a _giri_ for Urashima-san…" Motoko's face twisted slightly as she said the honorific, "to take over the Hinata Inn." The two other girls nodded. "It is now a matter of family honor for him to do as his grandmother asks."

"So what's the big deal? He can always say no." Kitsune flinched back slightly as Motoko's eyes hardened and bored into her.

"No offense, Konno-san," Naru winced slightly as Motoko's voice became even more cold and formal as she spoke to her friend, "but since you come from a family of common lineage and no longer have any close family members, you do not understand what it means to have family obligations, especially of this seriousness. Urashima-san has been charged with protecting his family lands, and he strikes me as someone who takes his honor seriously."

"What do you mean, lose the family lands? Worse comes to worse, the government buys his property. This is prime real estate here, they are going to get a pile of money for it." Kitsune squirmed at the look Motoko was continuing to direct at her.

"Like I said, you are of common lineage, Kitsune. Given what you know about Hina and Haruka, and how Urashima-san was spoken about in Granny Hina's letter, does he really strike you as someone who does NOT take honor seriously? Both he and Granny referred to promises he is trying to keep, and that is closely tied to personal and family honor. He is going to do his utmost to protect what has been in his family for over two centuries."

Naru spoke up. "Look Motoko, this guy may be the modern day equivalent of a samurai warrior, but I'm not going to let him perv and assault us girls here at the Hinata-sou. Especially with poor Shinobu and Su around!"

Motoko nodded. "Agreed. This is what troubles me the most about what Granny Hina has done. We are familiar with the lecherous nature of males," here the other girls nodded in concurrence, "but we have to take into account that Granny Hina would not deliberately put us tenants in a position of imminent harm either."

The girls pondered. Granny Hina was more than a little flaky - really, a zero-notice tour of the world's hot springs at her age! - but she would not want the girls living at the Hinata-sou to be in the clutches of some pervert either.

"Also, keep in mind that Urashima-san is within his rights to shut down the dorm and reopen the Sou as a hotel or resort again. There is little we can do about that."

The other girls winced. Short of moving in with non-existent family in the Tokyo area, there was literally no other place to move to at the rates charged by the Hinata-sou; any other place would charge double or triple what they paid now. If they did lose their places at the Sou, they would have to either move back home away from Tokyo, or in the instance of Kitsune, she would have no place to go back to.

"No, what we must do is be on guard around our new manager, and try not to be in a position to where he can take advantage of us. Especially the younger girls." Naru nodded vehemently in agreement with the kendoist.

The fox girl just nodded slightly in acknowledgement before posing a question of her own. "So what do we do if Manager-san does try and take advantage of us, Motoko? Like you said, he's a serious fighter."

"I have confidence in both you and Naru to hold off a perverted male long enough to cause an outcry. We will also be keeping an eye on the younger tenants to do the same." Motoko responded.

"Motoko, even if we cause an outcry, so what? We can't fight him off for long," asked the ash blonde girl, finally serious.

"Hopefully I will hear what is happening. Then Manager-san will learn that I will take my duty to protect the tenants of this Sou even more seriously than he does his own promises." A grim look was now set on the kendoist's face.

Before Naru or Kitsune could ask what Motoko meant by that, there was a soft knock on the door. "Naru-sempai, dinner is ready. Are Kitsune-sempai and Motoko-sempai there with you?" Shinobu's voice traveled through the door.

Motoko stood in one smooth motion. "We are all here, Shinobu-chan. We will be downstairs shortly." Moving to the door, she cradled her sword in her off-arm and left the other two girls sitting behind her, blinking at each other while the swordswoman's last statement prior to the interruption hung in the air.

* * *

><p>1 - ronin - originally referred to a samurai without a master. Now used to refer to secondary school graduates who have not yet been accepted to a university. Not a desired status.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

Keitaro opened his eyes at the sound of the alarm clock buzzing beside him. He had never been a fan of getting up early, but his life pretty much demanded it of him. Early to go to school, early to study before school, early to roll out of a bunk covered with mosquito netting to keep from getting eaten alive… waking up on a futon indoors at this relatively late hour was almost a luxury now.

Smacking the alarm clock off and grabbing his glasses from where they lay next to it, Keitaro rolled from his back to his knees beside the futon in a smooth motion. Placing the glasses on his face, he looked around the room he had spent the night in.

If there were any proof needed that Granny Hina had not intended to wait to see him, this room was it. Except for the slightly cluttered Western roll-up desk against the wall, the room was almost as bare as a hotel's would be. Drawers and closet empty, no pictures on the walls or the dresser. When Haruka had let him into the room last night, he had though she had shown him to one of the empty Inn rooms, but the desk put the lie to that. Thankfully, there had been bedding and a futon in the storage cubby so he did not have to sleep on a bare floor. All of Granny Hina's other belongings had been put into storage.

Moving over to where his duffle bag lay, Keitaro grabbed it and walked over to where the dresser was. Moving methodically, he emptied the contents into the drawers. Socks, skivvies, t-shirts in the first drawer, pullover shirts and jeans in the second, and sweaters and a black hoodie in the bottom drawer. Even so, there was still room to spare once he got to the bottom of the duffle. His jeans were still clean, so he just pulled on a new t-shirt, this one red with a stylized picture of a man wearing a Spartan helmet with the words 'Pipe Hitters Union' above and 'Local 300' below it.

Sighing, Keitaro pulled out a locked flat metal case from the bag and laid it on the top of the drawer. After folding up and putting away the duffle bag on a shelf in the closet, he returned to the dresser.

Producing a key from his jeans pocket, Keitaro opened the case and did a quick inventory of the contents before closing and locking the case. Pulling open the bottom drawer, he tucked the case under the hoodie and closed it again.

Keitaro did not feel pleased that he did not have a more secure place to lock up the case, but he had received the contents from Seta-sensei when he first started working for him, as well as the necessary legal permits and paperwork so he would not be violating either Japanese or Thai law. He would just have to wait for Sensei to get out of the hospital in Osaka so that he could put the case and its contents in proper storage.

Picking up the last item, Keitaro turned the battered baseball cap around in his hands. Khaki and sweatstained, the cap looked it had gone through a war or two, and knowing the previous owner, it probably had. Tracing his fingers over the Union Jack patch sewn to the front, he could hear a voice floating through his memory – _Fortune favors the brave, mate. Let the Devil take the rest._

After setting the cap back on top of the dresser, Keitaro picked up the battered Luminox wristwatch next to it and put it on. Given how fast the survivors of the expedition had been evacuated by the Thai navy, it was ironic that most of the clothes and gear he had with him now had not been originally his. The camp had been ransacked, and what little had been saved had included the duffle bag he had been carrying when he arrived. He had time to pick up some skivvies, socks and a couple pairs of jeans in Osaka in the week before he had to jump on the train to Tokyo when he got word from Granny Hina that he need to get his butt to the Hinata-sou pronto. The shirts, sweaters, and hoodie (all clean) had been in the bag and the ball cap and watch had been among the personal effects given to him by the Thais.

Walking over to the desk, Keitaro picked up a clipboard and several sheets of blank lined paper for notes as well as a pencil. After grabbing something for breakfast, he was going to have go through the Hinata-sou top to bottom, stem to stern. Gods willing, he would not have to do a lot of extensive repairs… like fixing that hole in the ceiling that was covered by what looked to be a piece of plywood. Keitaro had seen it last night and had been tempted to get a chair to stand on and examine the hole more closely, but he had been dead tired, and with his luck, the chair would have collapsed under him or something worse.

Keitaro had left his boots next to the main doorway last night, and he had not been able to dig out some indoors slippers, so he walked in his sock-clad feet out of the room, down the stairs, and through the living room and the dining room toward the kitchen. The last room brought back memories of last night, mostly unpleasant.

* * *

><p>Dinner itself was rather good. Pouched fish, steamed rice and vegetables, pickles and ginger, all spiced and seasoned to near perfection. The awkward part had begun when Keitaro and Haruka had walked in after everyone had already been seated, and Keitaro automatically walked to the foot of the long rectangular table the tenants were sitting around, where guests normally sat. But after a not-so-gentle nudge from Haruka, Keitaro slowly walked around to the head of the table and sat at the empty seat there, Granny's old seat.<p>

Motoko had been visibly not happy with the arrangement, Naru, even less so. Kitsune had grinned at the contretemps, Su barely noticed, but Shinobu almost had a breakdown, since she had not set a place at the head of the table. Keitaro had almost said to hell with it and gone back to the guest seat, but Haruka had clamped her hand down on his arm and held him in place.

While Shinobu had frantically run around resetting the table, Haruka walked over to where Naru was quietly stewing and in a no-nonsense voice ordered, "Move over, Naru."

"What?" Naru jerked slightly, looking up the older woman standing beside her.

"You're not going to make me sit away from my favorite nephew, are you? Scoot over." Haruka had a slight flat smile on her face, barely enough to be polite.

Naru had almost scowled, but she remembered who was in front of her and gave a slight head jerk in acknowledgement. Moving over to the seat that Kitsune had already vacated, she looked down at the empty plate before her and glowered, her eyes deliberately not looking at anyone else's.

After that, dinner was an almost silent affair. Except for quiet requests to pass a platter or some condiment, everyone pretty much concentrated on enjoying the delicious food. And it was delicious; much better than what he had eaten for the last year; fast and/or street food, quickly prepared and barely edible canned camp fare, and the all-time favorite meals of all, military rations and food bars he had eaten when there was nothing else.

Naru had attacked her food as though she was killing it before eating it; Keitaro was glad that they were eating with chopsticks and therefore the food was already in small portions. He was not sure he would have been safe if Naru had been holding a dinner knife at the time.

Motoko was eating like she was at a formal dinner; back straight, looking only ahead, off hand in her lap when not in use. Her eyes would move from one fellow dinner to another, but otherwise she concentrated on her meal.

Kitsune on the other hand was making no attempt to hide her amusement with the situation. Looking from the two other older tenants to Keitaro and Haruka, her dining was interspersed with sips of a clear beverage that Keitaro was sure was not water.

Shinobu had calmed down slightly once everyone had a place at the table and the food was served, but she was still looking anxious as everyone ate. Keitaro was reminded of an idiomatic American saying he had once heard; Shinobu was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Su on the other hand looked like she had not a care in the world. Pouring hot sauce on her food the way other would douse their french fries in ketchup, she ate almost twice as much as anyone else at the table. And this was before Shinobu brought out dessert; while everyone else got a slice of strawberry cake, Su got a half dozen bananas that she peeled and slammed down like someone was going to take them from her. It was more than a little disturbing.

Haruka merely looked from one tenant to another while she ate, not saying anything. After her food was finished, she automatically put a cigarette in her mouth before Keitaro caught her eye. Sighing, she put the lighter away and waited for everyone else to finish.

Once the strawberry cake was gone, Shinobu stood to start cleaning off the table when Keitaro cleared his throat slightly. The girl froze in place before slowly sitting back down, eyes wide.

"Dinner was delicious, Shinobu-chan. I almost didn't believe what Aunt Haru had said, but now I have proof." Keitaro smiled at the young cook.

"Th-thank you, Keitaro-sempai." The permanent blush on Shinobu's face rose to almost atomic levels.

Keitaro looked at the rest of the tenants around the table, seeing two scowls, one oblivious grin, and one smirk. It was almost like having a single pair hand in poker… then again, the smirker could be considered a joker, so three of a kind, not bad, huh? Looking to the side, he saw that his aunt was grinning slightly as well, so three scowls (well, two and the joker) over two grins. Keitaro was getting the feeling it was some kind of demented 'dead man's hand'.

"It's a little too late to be doing much of anything tonight, so tomorrow I'm going to go through the entire Hinata-sou and see what needs to be done." Keitaro could see the objections rising on the faces of Naru and Motoko. "Except for the personal rooms of the tenants. I'll wait for you to arrive home tomorrow afternoon so that you are with me when I enter your rooms. I can tell you right now, I won't be entering your rooms unless the tenant is there with me, Aunt Haru is with me, or it's an emergency. Haru is going to be with me on the room inspection tomorrow regardless." Keitaro tilted his head over toward his aunt, who nodded in agreement. Naru and Motoko sat back in their chairs not saying anything but visibly not happy. "I need to know when you will back here at the Inn tomorrow."

Naru scowled. "Cram school is done by 3:00 PM, I usually get here by 4:30."

Motoko answered stiffly. "School is over at 3:00 PM as well, but I usually have kendo practice after school. I can leave early and be here by 3:30."

Shinobu spoke up softly. "We leave at the same time as Motoko-sempai, but Kaolla-chan and I don't have club. We normally get home at 3:30 PM." Su happily nodded in agreement.

Kitsune half-smirked. "Well, I'm a work-at-home kinda gal, so my door is always open for you, Manager-san," the fox girl said in a suggestive drawl that caused Naru and Motoko to frown at her for a change and for Shinobu to squeak and flush red.

Of course that is when Su spoke up. "What's a Manager, Kitsune? Is it good to eat?"

"Depends on the toppings, Su-chan." Kitsune's smirk got even wider.

Su started to bounce up and down in her chair. "Oh, like bananas and chocolate sauce?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, there is a banana involved…" By this time, Motoko was matching Shinobu with her blush, while Naru's glower was almost at the point where it could be classified as a lighting source.

"Enough, Kitsune." Haruka stood up, with Keitaro following a moment later. "So 5:00 PM sound OK to you, Kei-kun?"

"Yeah, just fine. I'll come get you at the tea house around that time." Keitaro responded. He watched as everyone else stood and walked out toward the living room, with Shinobu staying behind and starting to gather the used plates and utensils on the table.

"Haru, give a hand." Keitaro started gathering the dishes on his side of the table, and after a moment's hesitation, Haruka joined him.

"Keitaro-sempai! Don't worry, I do this every night." Shinobu bit her lip in worry as the new landlord and his aunt quickly cleared the table.

"Yeah, doesn't mean it's right." Keitaro picked up the stack of plates and utensils in front of him, while Haruka collected the various cups and glasses. "You can take the left-overs to the kitchen, Shinobu-chan, we'll get this done in no time."

"OK…" Shinobu picked up a couple of half-empty platters of food and followed Keitaro and Haruka to the kitchen, not noticing that Naru and Motoko were standing on the other side of the doorway leading to the living room, guilt and concern showing on their faces.

* * *

><p>Walking into the kitchen the next morning, Keitaro saw that it was empty except for Shinobu, dressed in a school fuku uniform, who was standing on a small stepladder placing dishes in the cabinet. He frowned at the sight; Shinobu was standing on the top step of the ladder, with no visible means of stabilizing herself if she should lose her balance.<p>

Without saying anything, Keitaro walked over to where the oblivious girl was standing and stood behind her. He did not want to see her fall, but he did not want to startle her into falling off either.

Ultimately, it didn't matter, as a loud call carried in from the entry hallway. "Shinobu-chan! Time to go to school!" By the sound of the voice, it was Motoko.

Shinobu gave a slight gasp and unsteadily climbed down the stepladder. Getting to the bottom and turning around to leave the kitchen, Shinobu was abruptly face-to-face with Keitaro, who was standing less than an arm's distance away from her.

"Sempai!" Shinobu instinctively took a step back, which made her almost stumble over the stepladder. Instantly, Keitaro's hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, steadying her.

"Shinobu-chan, that wasn't safe." Keitaro took his hand off her shoulder, although he stood in place close to her.

"Safe?" Shinobu placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart, and tilted her hand up so she could look at the manager.

"What you were doing on that stepladder. You were too high on it, you could have lost your balance and fell."

"But I'm too short to use the cabinets otherwise, Keitaro-sempai." Shinobu had a crestfallen look on her face.

"Then we'll have to make other arrangements. Otherwise I don't want you to use that stepladder anymore, especially with no one around to support you. I'll look into getting another one to replace it." Keitaro took a step back from Shinobu and started writing a note on his clipboard about a replacement.

"If you're sure, Keitaro-sempai. I don't want to be a bother…" Shinobu would have continued speaking when another voice interrupted them.

"What is going on here? Why are you two standing like that?" The two turned toward the doorway where Motoko was standing with a suspicious look on her face. She was also dressed in a fuku uniform, and had a long and narrow wrapped bundle slung on her back.

"Shinobu was on that stepladder when I came in, she could have fallen off, so I stood next to it to make sure she didn't." Keitaro turned and stepped to face Motoko, incidentally stepping away from Shinobu. "I'm probably going to have to replace the stepladder for a safer one."

Motoko looked from the manager to the tenant, seeing an impassive look on one face and a blush on the other. But given that a blush was almost the default expression on Shinobu's face and there was no sign of lechery or guilt on the manager's face, she had to let it go for now. Motoko did resolve to question Shinobu more closely on the way to school, however.

"It's time for us to go, Shinobu. We don't want to be late to the trolley." Motoko finally stated, looking toward the younger school girl.

Shinobu turned toward Keitaro. "Sempai, I left a plate of food covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for you, all you have to do is put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to heat it up. I have to get going, have a good day, Sempai." Turning, Shinobu hurried out of the kitchen.

Keitaro and Motoko looked at each other for a few moments before he broke the silence. "Have a good day at school, Aoyama-san."

Motoko gave a brisk nod. "Thank you, have a good day as well, Manager-san," she responded, eyeing him for another moment before she turned and left the kitchen.

Keitaro stood there for a long moment before giving a soft sigh. Putting the clipboard on the counter, he turned and moved over to the fridge to get his breakfast. It was going to be a long day, he could just feel it.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

Opening the door to the hot springs area, Keitaro looked around carefully as he announced himself. "Is anyone here? It's Keitaro, I need to look around." Hearing no response, he opened the door completely and entered the scrub room.

As he had previously thought, inspecting the Hinata-sou property had taken most of the day. Starting at the attic and working his way down, he had gone through every room, closet, storage cubby and storeroom, and washroom he could find. By mid-day he had reached the basement and wound up inspecting the hot water boiler, which thank the gods appeared to be fairly new and in good condition. Keitaro had been half-afraid of encountering some turn of the century monstrosity when he had first come down the stairs.

After that, he had gone to the kitchen to get something for lunch when he had encountered Kitsune. He had seen her throughout the morning lounging in the living room, cheering for her picks while watching the horse races on TV. They had not said anything to each other since she had been too engrossed by the action on TV to notice him walking through the room behind her, so they had only greeted each other when Keitaro found her digging through the refrigerator.

Walking into the kitchen, Keitaro's first view of the resident fox girl was a nicely rounded rear covered in jean shorts and long bare legs below them in front of the open fridge doors. He could hear dishes clinking inside the appliance, so it was not a hard deduction to make to figure out what she was doing.

"Good morning, Konno-san," Keitaro announced himself as he looked down at his wristwatch and noted that it was just before noon.

Kitsune's head popped out from behind the open fridge door, her cheeks puffed out, presumably because her mouth was full of food. Chewing rapidly, she swallowed the food and responded, "Morning, Manager-san! What brings you here?"

"The same thing that brought you here, I guess. Hunger pains." Keitaro walked over and stood next to Kitsune, noting she was wearing a loose light blue top, with a very large neck opening that resulted in the shirt being off one shoulder and almost down the swell of one of her breasts.

"Well, there's leftovers here from Shinobu-chan's breakfast, so have at it, Manager-san. And I've told you before, call me Kitsune." She pushed her chest out slightly and cocked her hips to one side, going for a more sexy look.

Peering past the ash-blonde tenant, Keitaro could see that the plastic wrapped plate from this morning was now in disarray, the hard boiled eggs and pickled vegetables gone, with only the rice left and spilling off the plate. Keitaro had left half of the large plate from breakfast in the fridge to eat for lunch, but it looked like the resident fox had gotten to it first.

Looking from the plate and the few other items in the fridge back to the nervously smiling girl, Keitaro instead turned and walked over to the breadbox on the counter. "I was in the mood for tea and toast anyway. Could you please get out the butter, Konno-san?"

Kitsune winced at the polite tone of voice the manager had used. That and the continued formal use of her last name did not bode well for her.

Pulling out the box of butter, she watched as the new manager took four pieces of bread and dropped them into the toaster. Picking up the tea kettle from the dish rack, he filled it and stepped over to the stove. Putting it on a burner and turning it on, he stepped back and opened a cabinet, pulling out a cup and plate. Placing those on the counter, he looked over to Kitsune, who was standing there holding the butter with an uncertain look on her face.

Taking the butter and putting next to the dish, Keitaro asked, "Where does Shinobu-chan keep the tea?"

"In the pantry, through that door, on the right." Kitsune gestured to the side and Keitaro was able to find a couple different tins of tea. Selecting the green tea, he stepped back into the kitchen, seeing that the fox girl was standing there biting her lower lip before she asked, "So, why do you call Shinobu '-chan' and keep calling me '-san'?" (1)

Digging through a couple of drawers, Keitaro was able to find a small bell-shaped tea strainer. Carefully measuring a teaspoon of loose tea leaves into it, Keitaro closed it and placed it into the waiting empty tea cup. Sealing the tin of tea, he looked back at the tenant. "Because Shinobu reminds me a lot of my sister, back when she was younger. She used to be painfully shy too, but she got mostly over it before I finished school and had to leave home. Her name is Kanako, she's about 16 years old now. You'll meet her eventually." More than eventually, he was planning on calling home either tonight or tomorrow. "Plus, it doesn't seem to bother her, and it will help get her confidence up."

"So why don't you call *me* '-chan'?" Kitsune step up close to Keitaro, well within arm's reach, almost to the point where the taller male was able to feel the girl's breath on his face. As a matter of fact, he *could* feel her breath – as well as detect the slight smell of alcohol on it.

"Because it would not be polite, and I'm sure it would not be proper, especially in our positions." Keitaro could see that Kitsune was slowly getting closer. He could feel the body heat radiating from her chest through his t-shirt. However, just as he was going to pull away from her, the tea kettle started to whistle.

Silently blessing the gods, Keitaro stepped away from the suddenly wide-eyed girl and over to the stove. Picking up the steaming kettle, he poured some of the water into the waiting cup. Hearing the bread pop out of the toaster, he grabbed the toast and quickly buttered it before putting it on the plate. Taking the butter and replacing it in the fridge, Keitaro picked up the cup of tea and the plate of toast and put them down next to his clipboard on the kitchen table.

Sitting down at the table, Keitaro looked over at the still motionless fox girl. "Is there anything else, Konno-san?"

Kitsune blinked once or twice before she shook her head. "No, Manager-san. I guess I'll see you later." Turning unsteadily, she walked out of the kitchen back toward the living room.

Keitaro sat still for a moment, not moving until he heard the TV come on in the living room. Then moving slowly, he pushed his clipboard and plate of toast on the table before off to the side before he closed his eyes and began to softly bang his head against the table.

* * *

><p>After his mid-day meal and ritual head-clearing, Keitaro continued the inspection. Deciding to go outside for a spell, he started going through the various outbuildings around the property. The sheds containing gardening and construction supplies were not too bad. However, the old Annex building, which if he could remember correctly had been part of the resort, was in such bad condition that he was starting to genuinely fear for his safety.<p>

The cold and creepy feeling as soon as stepped into the dark and decaying building was one thing, but having his foot break through rotting floorboards six feet from the doorway was too much. Luckily he was wearing his boots, so his foot was not injured. Keitaro resolved to leave the building locked up until he could return with better safety equipment and a buddy to make sure nothing really bad happened and he would have no way to call for help. Recalling some of the stories Seta had told him about when he and Aunt Haruka had gone exploring back in their school days, he was sure he could convince Haru to come along, at least so he would not plummet to a horrible lonely death.

Finishing the outdoor inspection, all that was left was the occupied tenant rooms and the hot springs. The five tenants were all concentrated in the second floor of the one of the two wings of the building (the rooms of the second wing were all empty and locked). There were six rooms to the floor, but for some reason Kaolla Su was occupying and paying for two adjacent rooms, which had a double adjoining door installed just for her. Keitaro had noted in the tenant book that Su was paying the highest rent of all the tenants, triple the rooms and meals rate. That she had a double room explained part of that, but after seeing MechaTama in action and the way that Su ate at their first dinner together, the notions in Su's entry for 'food bills' and 'damage repairs' made a lot more sense. Plus, Su's rent was paid on the first of every month by automatic draft into the Hinata-sou bank account by an entity called 'the Embassy of the Kingdom of MolMol', but as long as the drafts cleared, there was really nothing to argue about there.

Keitaro wished it was that simple with the other tenants. Rents for the tenants were set at two different rates, one called 'basic room occupancy' and the other 'room occupancy and meals'. No one was paying only the basic rate set at 35,000 yen (equivalent to US $350) a month except for Shinobu, who because of her cooking duties got credited for the higher room and meals rate, set at 60,000 yen (US $600) a month. However, Keitaro was displeased to see that Shinobu had been marked down in the tenant book as only having cooking and kitchen duty as a condition of the reduced rate, and not laundry duty for the other tenants, which he has seen her in the middle of doing when he literally ran into her that first unfortunate day. He was going to have words with the other tenants, especially a certain fox girl.

Mitsume Konno was looking to be the problem tenant of all the borders. Keitaro was not sure how much being a freelance magazine writer paid, but it did not look like it was enough. He had seen in the book notations that Granny Hina had given her rent extensions and let her make partial payments on occasions that she had not had enough for the full room and meals rate she was supposed to pay. However, it now looked that Kitsune was owing the equivalent of two months rent as well as the regular rent payment that was shortly coming up.

Motoko Aoyama looked like she was going to be less trouble than the fox girl, as her rent was also paid by automatic draft on the account of the Aoyama family with the Bank of Kyoto. Naru Narusegawa paid in cash every month, occasionally a day late in making the payment, but nothing to really be concerned about.

Carefully stepping around on the wet stone floor of the main hot springs area, Keitaro could see small pieces of debris floating in the water, as well was what looked like algae growing on the rocks surrounding the pool. While having moss growing on the stones around most pools and ponds did lend a certain esthetic appeal in Japan, it was really a safety hazard in the already slippery areas around the spring.

Seeing a doorway at the rear of the springs, Keitaro opened it to find cleaning equipment and biodegradable cleanser. Now knowing what his next job was, Keitaro sighed and closed the door.

Turning toward the scrub room, Keitaro had only taken a couple of steps when he heard the door open. The sound was barely audible among the sounds of the hot spring bubbling, so Keitaro made a mental note of putting some kind of bell above the door. Any occupants in the springs would then know that someone was coming in, so hopefully the misunderstanding and the running flight and battle he had been involved in the first day back would not be repeated.

"Hello, it's Keitaro! I'm back here in the spring!" He called out. Keitaro had learned the hard way that his voice did not really carry any long distance and still be understandable, so he had been taught how to project his voice using his diaphragm instead of just his lungs when he wanted to be heard. It worked splendidly, but it had the unfortunate side effect of making him sound like some of the drill sergeants from American military movies he had seen.

There was a squeak and a clatter in the scrub room as something fell to the floor. Sliding open the door, Keitaro saw that Shinobu was picking up what looked to be used towels from the floor.

"Hey there Shinobu-chan. What're you doing?" Keitaro asked cheerfully. She really did remind him of Kanako, and he had decided to start acting more casual around her. The blush on her face looked cute the first couple times, but she did need to learn how to be less embarrassed around people.

"Hello, Keitaro-sempai. I was just collecting the hot springs towels so that I can wash them." Shinobu finished filling the basket and started to pick it up, but Keitaro could see that it was a little too heavy for the small statured girl.

"I got it." Gently bumping her aside with his shoulder, Keitaro tossed his clipboard on top of the basket and picked it up with little effort. "I didn't know you did the hot springs laundry, Shinobu-chan."

"Well, I was going to do the laundry right now, so I decided to get as much done as I can." Shinobu looked slightly anxious as she trailed the new manager carrying the basket out of the scrub room.

"You know that you don't have to do any laundry except your own, right Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro waited for Shinobu to open the door to the hallway, which she rushed to do.

"It's not a problem, Keitaro-sempai. I was going to wash anyway." She followed the manager into the laundry room down the hallway from the entrance to the hot spring.

"I see." Keitaro put the basket down on the counter next to the washer, which was already running. Looking at the stacks of unwashed clothes on the counter, he figured from the styles that there were clothes from Narusegawa and Su there. He could also see a smaller stack of clothes off to the side that looked to be Shinobu's. "Who's clothes are those in the washer?"

"Kitsune-sempai's…" Shinobu's voice trailed off as she saw something pass over his face. For a moment, it looked like Keitaro's squared off glasses had flashed white, but when he turned to look directly at her, everything looked normal.

"Do me a favor, Shinobu-chan. As soon as Konno-san's clothes come out of the wash, do your own clothes. I'll come back and do the hot springs towels after that."

"But Keitaro-sempai! The other sempais need their clothes washed…" Shinobu would have continued her protests, but Keitaro's glasses flashed white again, but this time his head did not seem to move. "I can't just leave their laundry there."

"You just worry about your own laundry, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro cocked his head slightly to the side before continuing to speak, only this time in English. "Let the Devil take the rest."

"I'm sorry, Keitaro-sempai, I don't understand spoken English very well." Shinobu watched as Keitaro straightened his head before speaking again in Japanese.

"Don't worry, Shinobu-chan. We'll sort this out later." Keitaro smiled gently at her before looking down at his wristwatch. "It's time for me to meet my aunt at the tea house, could you let the other tenants know the room inspections will start shortly? Everyone's here, yes?"

"Yes, Naru-sempai arrived just before Motoko-sempai, Kaolla-chan and I did."

"Please let them know that Haru and I will be back in about 10 minutes." Keitaro picked up his clipboard from the laundry basket and started walking out of the laundry room, his voice floating back. "I'll see you in a little bit, Shinobu-chan." The dark-haired schoolgirl stood there for a moment before rushing out of the room and toward the stairs to tell her fellow tenants.

* * *

><p>1 - Honorifics - The Japanese use honorifics when referring to other people, either by name or not. <em>San <em>is the most common suffix, equivalent to Mister or Misses. Used with both given and family names, it is used in formal or semi-formal situations to show respect, or when the person being addressed is not close to the speaker.

_Chan_ is an affectionate suffix, normally used only for very young children, or for young girls or women, if the speaker and recipient are on friendly terms. It is also used by romantically involved couples in an intimate setting. _Kun_ is the equivalent term for males.

Not using **any** suffix, especially when addressing someone by their given name, is considered **very** intimate, either romantic or not, and if used by someone who is not in that position, considered very insulting.

Shinobu tends to refer to people at the Sou with the suffix _sempai_, which refers to upperclassman or those of a higher rank than yourself. It is used mostly in a work or school setting, but Shinobu uses it as a means to show respect to her fellow housemates. She does use _chan_ when referring to Su, however. The companion term to _sempai_ is _kouhai_, which means underclassman or junior in rank, and is rarely used.

Teachers are referred to as _sensei_, which means 'one who has come before'. The term is also used to refer to mentors at work or school or to medical doctors.

_Sempai_ and _sensei_ are considered titles as well as suffixes, so the terms alone can be used to refer to someone.


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter contains an action sequence and what can be considered bashing of a major character. That is not my intent; she tends to act out in a certain way, and this time a person who was running out of time has to make a choice. Don't worry, no one dies or is hurt (much)._

Ch 6

Keitaro rolled his head from side to side, trying to work the kinks out of his neck as he walked down the steps of the Hinata-sou; spending most of a day looking into every nook and cranny of a large house and property was not guaranteed to make a person relaxed. Having to look forward to dealing with a bunch of rambunctious tenants was not helping him regain his center of calm either.

Entering the Tea House through the side door, he was slightly surprised that there was not so many people there. Barely a quarter of the tables had people sitting at them, sipping tea and reading books and newspapers. Keitaro was reminded of some of the coffee houses in Tokyo… all that was missing were the otaku coming back from a day full of shopping, and cosplaying waitresses to serve them, thinking to himself with a small smile.

"Hey there Kei-kun. It's that time?" The sound of his aunt's voice gave him her location, standing behind the counter next to the display of teas that Haruka sold by the tin. Even though most people were perfectly able to make their own tea at home, they would come in to sample the varied teas from around Asia and the world that his aunt would sell either by single measures in waxed paper tied off with string, or in larger sealed cans to help keep the leaves fresh longer.

"Yeah, pretty much finished everything else." Keitaro walked up to the counter as Haruka finished stacking the tins on the shelves against the wall. "I'm going to be glad to when this day is over. I've been on my feet for most of it."

Haruka hummed in response as she finished her tidying up. Undoing her apron, she hung it up on a hook on the wall at the end of the counter. "Yoko, I'm going out for a little while," she said to the older woman sitting behind the register. Slight of build with short graying hair, she was wearing round granny glasses and reading a paperback book. "If anything comes up, call me on my mobile, this shouldn't take more than a hour." The woman silently nodded and then resumed reading her book.

Walking out the door, Haruka's arm twitched toward her shirt pocket and the smokes contained therein, then move back to her side. Seeing the small smile on her nephew's face, she blushed slightly and muttered, "Not a good idea to smoke going up stairs anyway." Keitaro's smile widened but he keep silent anyway as they walked up the meandering steps.

Pausing at the head of the stairs to catch her breath (and trying to conceal that fact) Haruka asked, "So how did the grand tour go?

Waiting for a moment to catch his own breath, Keitaro replied, "About how I expected. There's a lot of routine maintenance that wasn't kept up with, plus some minor damage to the house that needs to be repaired, but after that it shouldn't be a problem. The one thing I'm concerned with is the Annex, that place is so unsafe I didn't get past the entryway. Three steps in and my foot went through some rotted floorboards. We need to go in with bigger lights and better safety gear to explore it, but from I can see, we may need to just raze the building and be done with it."

Haruka looked at him with some interest on her face. "You feel anything when you go in there?"

"You mean besides cold and clammy? Not really." Keitaro replied, looking up at the front of the main house.

"You know there are people that say that that place is haunted." Haruka continued watching Keitaro out of the corner of her eye.

Keitaro snorted. "Wouldn't surprise me, all that was missing from that place was the sounds of chains dragging on the floor." He looked back at his aunt. "You wouldn't know why the place is haunted, or by who?"

"Closest I've ever heard of an explanation is that members of the family are not happy that the clan is getting smaller and smaller every generation. Either that or they are staying around to protect those of us that are left." A look of sadness made its way across Haruka's face.

Keitaro nodded, understanding what she meant. Haruka's parents had been killed in one of the frequent earthquakes that hit Japan. Her parents had been on a business trip in Sendai when the trembler struck, causing a landslide that crushed the building they were in. Haruka had been eight years old at the time, and the deaths devastated her. Granny Hina wound up taking in her grand-daughter and eventually adopted her.

One of the things that was rarely spoken of in the Urashima family was how close Death seemed to follow it. There was never a generation that did not have an early death, either by accident or illness. The Pacific War had done the most damage; even though the Urashima males of that time were mostly too old to serve in uniform or too young, the two young men that did serve did not return home. The firebombing of Tokyo near the end of the war resulted in the deaths of almost three quarters of the Urashima family; only Hina, her younger brother, her mother, and her mother's father survived the war.

Stepping next to Haruka, Keitaro wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, standing shoulder to shoulder. Haruka tilted her head so it was against his shoulder, and sighed. One of the things she had missed about Keitaro was how he was unafraid of comforting those close to him. In a culture that maintained emotional distance to make up for the crowded environment that most people had to be in, Keitaro was always there to share in people's emotions, both the good and the bad.

Taking a deep breath, Haruka put her hand on top of Keitaro's and squeezed before stepping away slightly. Understanding the unspoken thanks, Keitaro let his arm fall away and started walking toward the front door of the Sou, Haruka not even a half step behind him.

"So all we have left are the tenant rooms?" Haruka paused at the door as she pulled off her shoes and stepped into the indoors slippers lined up there. Keitaro followed suit.

"Yeah, but there is one thing left to check, and I need your help for it. I'll let you into my room, then I have to go get the stepladder."

Unlocking his room door, Haruka stepped in while Keitaro walked back down the hall. Looking around, she saw that little had changed from last night, except that the duffle bag was no longer in sight. The futon was still on the floor, and what looked to be some prep books and study guides were on a low table, presumably where he was going to study.

Noticing the ball cap on the dresser, she walked over and took a closer look at it. The English flag patch on the front of the cap did not look like something that Keitaro would wear, but the way it was set front and center on the top suggested it had some meaning to him.

Hearing the door open, Haruka turned to see Keitaro walk in carrying what looked to be a medium sized stepladder. Putting it down next to the table, he opened it and positioned it under something Haruka had not noticed yet; a large hole in the ceiling, covered by what looked to be a piece of plywood.

"What the heck is that? Or better yet, what the hell caused that?" Haruka asked in some wonder. With modern construction techniques and materials, it was very difficult to make a hole in a ceiling or floor big enough for a person to pass though. It was almost certainly done deliberately, but she could not think of a reason why Granny Hina would do that.

"That's what I want to know myself. I wanted to look at it earlier, but I didn't want to risk a fall. I saw this stepladder in the kitchen this morning, so with you here to make sure I keep my balance, it should be safe enough." Keitaro took a couple steps up the ladder then looked at his aunt. "Stand next to the ladder and hold onto my legs. I don't want to take a header off this thing."

Nodding, Haruka waited until Keitaro was on the third step from the top before taking hold of his legs. At that level, Keitaro was just below the plywood, where his short hair was brushing against it. Raising one hand to the board, he pushed slightly and was surprised to feel the board move.

"The edges aren't clean cut; it looks like something smashed its way through here. The board looks like it isn't nailed down, I'm going to push it up and see what's up there. I'm going to have to take another step up, so hang on tight to me." Keitaro requested.

Hearing Haruka give her OK, Keitaro stepped up to the second from the top step. The board was light enough that his head was able to push it up, so Keitaro jammed his hand in the widening crack on one side of the board and pulled himself up. As he did so, he heard a soft thump, as though something on top of the board had fallen over.

Straightening up, Keitaro was surprised to see that he was looking into another room. "…It looks like a tenant room. Who the hell makes a hole through the floor in their…" Keitaro turned his head to look around and saw someone was standing a short distance away, "…room?"

* * *

><p>Naru Narusegawa was fuming. It was five minutes until the new landlord was going to do his blasted room inspection, and she had spilled cola all over her blouse and skirt as she had been moving some books off to the side.<p>

After frantically mopping up the mess with some tissues, she looked down at her clothes and was annoyed to see that there was large dark spots on her light colored clothes. Angry that she had to change clothes again not ten minutes after doing so when she first got home, Naru quickly pulled off her clothes and shoved them in the hamper. Wearing only a bra and panties, she walked over to her dresser when she heard a soft thump.

Turning her head, she saw that her stuffed Lido-kun plushie had fallen over. Surprised, but not really concerned, she started walking over to set it up right when the board that Lido-kun was sitting on shook, then started to move upwards.

Freezing in place, Naru watched as fingers, then a hand appeared under the board and grabbed onto the edge of the hole beneath. The board shook again and then was pushed upwards.

Wide-eyed, Naru saw that what had pushed the board up was a head. A head with dark hair and glasses. A head that slowly turned and faced her. A head with the face of Keitaro Urashima.

"…It looks like a tenant room. Who the hell makes a hole through the floor in their…" Urashima finally turned enough to see Naru. "…room?"

Naru barely heard this, as rage was boiling through her veins. Not only was their new manager a man and therefore a pervert, he was now looking through a hole in her floor to peep on her in her underwear!

Urashima's eyes widened considerably, and his face went pale, in direct contrast to Naru, who's eyes had narrowed to slits, and her face was almost brick red. Taking one step forward, she growled in a bestial voice, "… you bastard…"

"Wait Naru…!" Anything else Keitaro would have said was cut off as she began to sprint toward the hole in the floor.

"DIE, PERVERT!" Seeing that Naru was almost upon him, Keitaro tried to duck out of the line of incoming fire. But due to his precarious position and the fact that Haruka was holding his legs in place, all he could was crouch down, and that was not enough.

Seeing that Urashima was lowering himself in the hole, Naru instinctive realized that the kick she was going to do would not hit it's intended target. Instead, she stopped and stomped down on the board full force.

Keitaro's knees were bent; that was one of his two saving graces. When the powerful stomp connected with the board still touching the top of his head, there was some give in his legs, so only a fraction of the force concentrated on his head. However, his knees immediately collapsed and he fell sideway, being torn free from an horrified Haruka.

The second saving grace was that Keitaro landed on top on the low table next to the ladder. The legs of the table instantly blew outwards, reducing the force of the tabletop slamming into the floor and of Keitaro slamming down completely on it. He hit with the back of his shoulder and side, rolling over onto his back before coming to a stop.

* * *

><p>Haruka looked on in shock as Keitaro lay there not moving. His eyes were wide and unblinking for what seemed like an eternity before he sucked in a large breath, exhaled, then sucked in another, appearing stunned. His eyes were blinking again, but while the lights were on, there was no one home at that moment.<p>

Haruka's head jerked upward as she heard a snarl above her. Looking up, she saw Narusegawa coming down through the hole in the ceiling. Dropping down to the floor, the underwear clad girl stalked toward the semi-conscious Keitaro, her fists clenched and her eyes promising death.

"Naru! NARU! STOP!" Haruka could see that the enraged girl was not listening to her. She grabbed at her arm to stop her, but she pulled free with almost no effort.

With Naru only a step from Keitaro, she was thrown backwards toward the door as Haruka crash-tackled her. Snarling at the older woman, Naru threw her to the side and got to her feet again.

Haruka was almost in a panic. Naru was going to try and tear Keitaro apart while he could not defend himself. Her first two attempts to stop her barely slowed her down. Her options were running out fast.

Scrambling to her feet, she ran at the furious teen, her left forearm up and aimed at Naru's throat. Her right hand dug into her back pocket, the object she pulled out of it instantly starting to click and blur…

* * *

><p>Naru was going to tear apart that pervert if it was the last thing she did.<p>

Nothing was going to stop her…

Not the other tenants…

Not the pervert's aunt…

Nothing…

_clickclickclickSLAM!_

Naru was next aware that someone had her up against a wall with their arm across her throat, almost cutting off her air. But she still could breath, she could yank them away and…

Suddenly something bright gleamed in front of Naru's face, barely two inches away. She focused on it.

A knife. Held by Haruka. Aimed right at her eye.

"NARU! NARU! GODDAMNIT, NARU, STOP MOVING, OR BY GOD I'LL DROP YOU!"

Naru stopped struggling, and instead concentrated on breathing. Seeing this, Haruka released some of the pressure across her throat. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only ten seconds, Haruka spoke again.

"Naru, I am not going to let you hurt Keitaro. It was an accident he saw you like this, I was here, he was not going to peep on you. Do NOT do anything stupid, and I won't hurt you. If you promise not to attack again, I'll let you go. Promise? Nod for yes." Naru, now wide-eyed, nodded slowly. "If you attack him again, I'm not going to **try** to stop you, I **will** stop you cold." Haruka wiggled the knife blade, and Naru's eye followed it. "Understand? Nod for yes." Naru nodded again.

Haruka noticed that she and Naru were up against the wall by the room door. "I want you to slide down the wall and sit on the floor. I'm not going to do anything to you, I just want to check on Keitaro. OK?" The rage in Naru's eyes was gone, replaced with shock and fear. Moving slowly, she slid down the wall and sat.

Taking a couple of steps away from the now hyperventilating girl, Haruka kept her in the corner of her eye and looked toward Keitaro. He was now looking right at her, eyes wide still, but breathing less heavily. She realized that her nephew had seen everything that had just happened.

Looking downwards, Haruka looked at the balisong knife she had open in her right hand. A memento of her 'misspent youth', only some of which had been with Seta, it was now used to open boxes in the shop. Granted, she had used it before to scare off the occasional mugger, but tonight was the closest she had ever come to use it for real.

With a slight shudder at the thought, Haruka took a look back at Naru and saw that she was still on the floor hyperventilating. Threat over for now, she twirled the knife, making the distinctive _clickclickclick_ sound as the blade folded back into the two piece handle. Shoving the knife back into her jeans pocket, she moved over to where Keitaro was trying to sit up on the wreckage of the table.

"Haru…" Anything Keitaro would have said was cut off by the sound of a thump. The two Urashima looked over at Naru, who apparently had fainted due to her hyperventilating. They both could see she was breathing normally now, so Haruka decided to leave her be.

"Haru…" Kneeling down beside him, Haruka pressed her head against his, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Would you?" The question caused Haruka to look up into Keitaro's face. She did not have to hear the full question, she knew what he meant.

"…I didn't want to." Haruka responded, her voice low.

"But…?" Keitaro asked another question, a full sentence crammed into one word.

"You're family." Those two words spoken flatly by Haruka said more than any speech would have. Those two words were enough.

Suddenly there was a pounding at the door. "Naru! Naru, are you in there? Answer me!" The voice sounded like Motoko's.

Naru groaned on the floor, slowly coming back to consciousness. Haruka replied for her, in a loud voice intended to carry though the closed door. "It's me, Haruka. Naru's here, too. There's been an accident, hang on a minute."

Seeing that Keitaro was sitting up on his own now, Haruka walked back to Naru, dropping to one knee next to the waking girl, but still staying a bit back from her.

"How are you feeling, Naru?" Haruka asked in a neutral voice.

Naru moaned. "What happened? I have a blinding headache…" She looked around for a moment. "What am I doing in Granny's room?"

Haruka blinked. The girl had to be kidding. "What do you last remember?"

Naru pressed her hands to her temples, rubbing them. "I was getting ready for the room inspection, and I spilled some cola, and I got so mad… Then I saw red and the headache came, and the next thing I remember is waking up were with you in Granny's room."

Haruka was staring into Naru's eyes now. Instead of fury or fear there was just confusion.

'_There must really be a god…'_ Haruka thought to herself. The adrenaline rush of Naru's rage, the shock of being threatened, plus being almost choked out, and hyperventilating as well, seemed to have caused a temporary short term memory loss… at least she hoped that it was just limited to the one memory.

Speaking up calmly, she said, "Naru, there was an accident with the hole in your floor. Keitaro's hurting too, just sit there for a while, OK?" Naru nodded, and dropped her head down on her raised up knees.

Turning to Keitaro, Haruka turned and saw that he had heard everything as well. Seeing him shrug his shoulders and nod, she nodded in return.

Another knock on the door came before Motoko spoke again. "Haruka, is everything fine now? Can you open the door?"

Seeing Keitaro give his nod again, and with everything else as under control as it could be, Haruka walked over to the door and opened it. On the other side were the other tenants of the Sou, with Motoko in front and suspicion writ large cross her face. "What happened, Haruka? We heard Naru yelling, some crashing, and now everyone his here in the manager's room."

'_Oh Lord God, let this work…'_ Haruka prayed. "I was with Keitaro inspecting that hole over there." She gestured to the ceiling, and Motoko and the others saw the large hole. "We didn't know Naru's room was on the other side, and when she saw Keitaro she blew her top."

"Then what happened?" This question came from Kitsune, who was switching from amused to concerned and back again.

"Keitaro fell back onto the table over there, Naru came down here spitting mad, but she calmed down after I explained what happened. Then the adrenaline rush got to her and she fainted. She just woke up." The best lies were the ones mixed with the truth, after all. There was no way she wanted everyone else that she had to threaten Naru with an amateur lobotomy to get her to stop.

By this time Naru had managed to stagger to her feet, even though she was swaying. "Oh god, I have a monster headache, I just want to go to bed."

Haruka looked over at Keitaro and asked, "How about we postpone the inspections until tomorrow, Kei-kun? Neither of you are in shape for it." Keitaro nodded his head, wincing at the motion.

"OK guys, time to go back to your rooms. Motoko, could you and Kitsune take Naru to her room, please? I've got to check on Keitaro here." Haruka watched as the older girls helped the underwear clad girl out of the room, then turned back to Keitaro, who had slowly moved over to the futon, which was clear of debris.

Haruka moved over and plopped down next to Keitaro. Sitting still for a moment, she was not at all surprised that he put his arm around her. She returned the favor immediate, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

After ten minutes of silence, Haruka broke it by muttering two words. "My God."

Keitaro nodded slightly and replied just as concisely. "Yeah." After a moment of thought, he added one more word. "Thanks," and softly kissed Haruka on the temple. She squeezed his shoulder in reply, and that was enough.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

_In the past…_

Haruka cut the ignition on her motorcycle, letting the humming engine go silent. With the amount of mods done to it, the racer bike was almost whisper quiet. Not to say it was not fast, or did not handle well, but there were quite a few bikers out there that were trying to make up for inadequacies somewhere, and having a supercharged crotch rocket screaming their presence was one of the ways to do it. It was either that or having racer groupies dressed like hentai anime girls hanging all over them, she sneered to herself.

It was almost nine in the morning, and she had been out since before sundown the night before. Even though she was eighteen now and Hina gave her a pretty wide lead, she would not be happy that her adopted daughter was out carousing all night with a bosozoku crew (1). Therefore, the quiet approach to the back of the house at the bottom of the Hinata-sou.

Dropping the kickstand and rocking the Kawasaki into place, Haruka swung her leg over the tail of the bike and stepped away. Pulling her helmet off, she hung it on a hook on the side of the bike, then she pulled off the bandana off that she had been wearing under the helmet and brushed her short hair loose. Haruka had heard too many stories of bikers scrambling their brains in accidents, and did not want to wind up that way, so putting up with sweat-matted hair was a small price to pay.

Unzipping her black leather jacket, she let it hang open over her white t-shirt and leather jeans and dug out a pack of cigarettes. Having picked up the habit in junior high school, it was a difficult one to shake, but necessary to help steady her nerves. After a big test at school, before a race on her bike, before dealing with her…

"Good morning, Haruka-chan!" An aged hand snagged the lit cigarette from her mouth as she was taking the first hit, flipping it to the ground and grinding it out with her foot, all in one motion. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Granny." Haruka closed her eyes for a moment mourning the loss of her smoke before looking over the pint-sized terror beside her.

Standing at 150 cm (4'10") and weighing 54 kilos (90 lbs) soaking wet, Hina Urashima was not a physically imposing woman at first glance. That is, until one felt the sheer personality radiating from her. After meeting her school friends once, one of them stated that Hina was like one of the old martial arts grandmasters you occasionally met in Japan. They did not have to be big, they did not have to be muscular, but you **knew** they could kick your ass without even trying. Haruka completely agreed with that assessment, due to extensive previous experience. And this was not even counting her learning the family martial arts style at the hands of Hina and her brother Hiro. It was also that mastery that allowed Hina to just appear next to you like she had just teleported, much to her chagrin.

"Up early this morning, Haruka-chan?" Hina's innocuous question was belied by the knowing look in her eyes. It was her form of a trap; she did not mind people bending the truth some, but lying to her could have serious consequences, especially if they were a family member. Haruka could remember lying once to sneak out of the house at age thirteen to meet a fifteen year old boy. She wound up on restriction for a week, and everyday of that restriction had been spent on her knees scrubbing the wooden floors and the hot spring in the Sou. The worse part had been when Hina had invited the boy and his family over to the Sou for tea. After spending two hours scrubbing floors, Haruka had been given ten minutes to make herself presentable before the family arrived, then she had to spend an hour in the seiza position (2) listening to Hina make nice with the boy's parents, the boy also squirming in seiza as well. It was not much of a surprise that the boy did not want to have much to do with her after that, even when the boy's family kept asking him why he was no longer with that nice Urashima girl.

"Well, it was a nice sunrise today." And it was, only she had seen it speeding down the expressway on her bike on the way home rather than from her window or from some hilltop.

Hina nodded in agreement. "Yes it was. It's good to see young people up early appreciating life, rather than lollygagging in bed on the weekend. You then have a chance to do something constructive."

Haruka smiled weakly. That last line did not sound encouraging.

"Kouji and his family arrived last night. It was too late to call you up from here," sweat drops formed on the back of Haruka's head, "but now you can come up and say hello to them," smiled Hina.

Haruka nodded in silent agreement. She had not seen her uncle for a couple of years, as he had been setting up his bakery business on the other side of Tokyo. Presumably, things were getting better if he was visiting his mother at the family home for a vacation.

"Go ahead and change so we can go up to the house." Hina smiled thinly. "You got ten minutes before I start off without you."

Haruka smiled weakly again, then shot off toward the back door and the stairs up to her room. Hina wanted to make a point, and woe to those who were not on time to receive it.

Bursting into her room, she tore off her jacket and tossed it into the armchair next to the window. Kicking off her heavy boots, she shimmied off her leather pants and tossed them on top of the jacket. T-shirt, bra, socks, and panties flew into the hamper, then she darted into the small bathroom attached her room.

Wetting a washcloth, she rapidly washed her face, then scrubbed down the rest of her body and sprayed some deodorant on herself before darting back to her room. Pulling open her dresser, she wiggled into a clean set of bra and panties before pulling on socks and a pair of faded jeans. Throwing open the closet, she grabbed a sleeveless dark blue top and pulled it on. Stepping back to her leather jacket and pants, she grabbed all her pocket litter and shoved it into the pockets of her jeans.

Dashing to the bathroom, Haruka quickly ran a comb through her hair. Moving back to the closet, she grabbed a comfy pair of sneakers and took off toward the stairs again.

Skidding to a stop by the door, Haruka pulled on her sneakers and then took a deep breath. A moment later she stepped outside and stopped next to Granny, who was standing there with her head slightly cocked to one side, no expression on her face.

"Nine minutes thirty seconds. You could do better, Haruka-chan." Hina smiled slightly before turning and walking to stairs. Knowing better than to respond to that remark, Haruka followed her, to the left and a half step behind her.

After a five minute climb that was more like a forced march than a walk up stairs, Haruka was trying to conceal her heavy breathing while Hina stood inhaling easily at the top of the stairs, looking like she had just walked across a street and not climbed a hundred steps uphill.

"Kouji and Yuki are at the hot spring right now, so you will meet with them later." Haruka tried not to gape at Hina; if the couple was busy, then why the rush to get up here? "I thought you might want to meet someone else," continued Hina, answering the unspoken question. Walking around the side of the building, Haruka followed Granny Hina until she stopped just short of the sandbox in the back yard, set up for the children of guests of the hot spring. There were two children sitting there, a little girl and a little boy.

Haruka glanced at the girl, noting that she looked about three years of age and had long brown hair. She was slowly digging into the sand with a little plastic shovel, filling a matching pail.

The boy, who looked to be a couple years older than the girl, waited until the girl filled the pail, then picked it up and dumped it on a large mound of sand that somewhat resembled a castle. Returning the pail to the little girl, who started to refill it, the boy went back to the large pile and tried to shape it, but he was not doing a very good job of it. It looked more like a large turtle than a castle, to tell the truth.

"Yoko, thank you for watching over them. You can go back to the house now." Haruka looked over to see that Hina was speaking to an older woman with salt and pepper hair and wearing round granny glasses and an apron. The woman nodded silently and walked back into the main house.

"The little girl is Naru, she is the daughter of some guests here. She's been a little sickly for all of her life, and her parents are hoping coming to the spring might help improve her health." Hina spoke softly, not wanting to startle or scare the children.

"And the little boy?" Haruka asked.

"What, you don't recognize your own nephew?" Hina smiled thinly again.

Haruka grimaced. She had been adopted by Hina after her parents' death, even though they were already of the same blood and family name. It was one of the ways that Hina tried to make her feel closer to her father's family, in addition to preventing a custody fight with her mother's family, who seemed to be a little too interested in Haruka's trust fund and family insurance payout. Since she was now considered Kouji's adopted sister instead of his niece, she would be his son's aunt instead of his cousin.

"I'm too young to be an oba-chan," Haruka muttered in disgust.

Hina went from a thin smile to a grin."You really don't have a choice in the matter, do you? Unless you plan to stay young forever."

"I'm working on it," Haruka replied, looking back at the little boy.

"Not if you keep smoking and racing motorcycles, you won't." Hina did not wait for a reply as she turned toward the sandbox. "Kei-kun, come over here!" she called.

The little boy stood up from the sand and carefully stepped over the enclosure before running over to Hina. "Granny!" he called just before he slammed into her, rocking her back slightly as his face was pressed into her stomach and wrapping his arms around her.

Hina smiled as she looked down at her grandson, ruffling his short dark hair, "Kei-kun, I have someone I want you to meet." Pulling away from Hina, the boy looked over and up at Haruka, who was looking down at him.

"Keitaro-kun, this is Haruka-chan, your oba-chan. Go ahead and say hi to her." Hina stepped back out of the way from in between the two.

The little boy squinted at Haruka, as though he could not see very well. Taking a couple steps forward, he spoke, his face contorting as his mouth formed around the unfamiliar name. "Ha- ru-… Ha- ru-…" He stopped for a moment before he grinned and started again. "Haru-chan! Haru-chan!"

Haruka smiled in spite of herself. The boy had such a sunny personality that it was hard not to smile in response. "Hi there, Kei-kun."

Keitaro smiled then said "Oba-chan?" saying it the same way he did for Granny Hina. The accent was on the second vowel of oba, which meant 'grandmother', or informally meant 'old woman'.

Haruka's smile slipped slightly. "No, oba-chan." She pronounced it with the accent on the first vowel, which was the correct way to say 'aunt'.

"Oba-chan, oba-chan!" Keitaro kept pronouncing it the first way, the way he did with Hina.

Haruka sighed. It was hard to stay mad at her smiling and bouncing baby cousin… nephew… whatever. "Haru-chan," she replied, deciding to cut her loses.

"Haru-chan!" To her surprise, Keitaro jumped up and into Haruka's arms, almost knocking the unprepared teen over before she steadied herself. The boy wrapped his arms around her neck and snuggled his face against hers. Haruka stood stiffly for a moment before she relaxed slightly.

"Oh, this is so cute!" Haruka and Keitaro turned at Hina's voice, just in time to be blinded by the flash of a camera. Trying to blink the spots from her eyes, Haruka stood there as she heard Hina take a couple more pictures, until finally she could see clearly again and saw Hina standing there with a smirk on her face, sliding a small camera back into a pocket.

"Haruka-chan, I have to do some things with the guests, could you keep an eye on the children until lunchtime?" Haruka knew that the question was anything but that. Saying no was not an option.

"Sure, Granny." It's not like she need sleep after her long night out.

"Oh, and can you help Kei-kun and Naru-chan with their sand castle? I want to take a picture of all of you together before lunch." Hina grinned at Haruka.

Smiling weakly, Haruka nodded."Not a problem, Granny." Looking back at the sand turtle, she knew this was Hina's way of getting back at her for staying out last night.

"Have fun, kids!" Hina turned and walked back into the house.

Turning her head, Haruka looked at Keitaro, who was staring at her solemnly. "Haru-chan smell bad."

Haruka's eyes went wide before she realized what he was talking about. His face had been next to her hair, which smelled of sweat and cigarette smoke. She sighed to herself; she did not want grooming criticism from a five year old, but the kid had a point.

"I'll wash up later, Kei-kun. Let's go work on your turtle… I mean your castle." Slowly putting him down on the ground, Haruka took his hand and walked toward the sandbox, the boy cheering and pulling her along.

* * *

><p>1 - bosozoku - literally, violent running tribe; applied to motorcycle gangs in Japan. Some groups are relatively non-criminal, but some are recruiting grounds for the Yakuza (organized crime).<p>

2 - seiza - formal sitting; kneeling on the floor with the feet tucked so the top of the feet are against the floor and the heels are in a 'V' shape with the person sitting between them. It can get very uncomfortable and/or painful if the person is not used to it, or they are in the position for too long.

* * *

><p><em>Current time…<em>

Haruka awoke from her memory dream with a start, instinctively looking around herself before she remembered where she was at. Sitting against the wall with her legs pulled to her chin, she was leaning against the wall by Keitaro's futon, where he was deeply asleep. A lamp was lit on Hina's desk, illuminating the room in dim light.

Using her not-small emergency medical knowledge, Haruka was able to determine that Keitaro did not have a concussion or any broken or dislocated bones from his fall from the stepladder. As such, Haruka was persuaded by Keitaro that he did not need to be taken to the hospital and could rest in his room instead. She had agreed on the condition that she could stay and keep an eye on him. He agreed, but did not realize that Haruka did not have a place to sleep without bringing in another futon, which she choose not to do as she did not want to get too comfortable. Otherwise, Keitaro would have insisted on giving his own futon to his aunt for her to rest on. Sometimes Keitaro was too noble for his own good.

Digging out her mobile phone, Haruka keyed it on and noted the time. It was 4:15 AM, never a good time to be awake. Given the headache she was getting now, she knew that she would not be able to go back to sleep easily, so she resigned herself to some deep thoughts in the dark.

Haruka was able to con Keitaro into believing that the reason she was staying with him was to make sure his injuries did not take a turn for the worse. That was partially true; however, most of the truth was that she did not want to leave her nephew alone in a room where someone who had almost physically assaulted him had easy access to him in his sleep.

Looking up at the board covering the hole in the ceiling, Haruka almost could not believe that the sweet but sickly young girl she had first met so many years ago was a man-hating berserker now. She had known that Naru had problems with boys and men harassing her - what attractive woman in Japan did not? - but she had always gone with the assumption that the males had instigated the problem, and that Naru was merely fending them off. But what Haruka had seen last night was beyond the pale. She was sure that if she had not intervened so overwhelmingly, Keitaro would have been badly hurt at the very least. It was one thing to punch a man groping you on the train, it was something else entirely to advance on a semi-conscious male with the intent to commit great bodily injury because he had accidently seen her in her underwear.

After getting Keitaro settled on his futon, Haruka called down to the teahouse on her mobile to ask Yoko to close up for her. The quiet part-timer was extremely reliable, having worked for her since she had opened the business, and having worked for Hina in the Hinata-sou for almost thirty years before that. The only reason she was still working instead of enjoying her retirement years was because she found staying at an empty home too depressing. Her three children had grown up and moved out, and her husband had passed on a couple of years ago. Ringing up sales on the register and cleaning up around the teahouse suited her, as well as filling the quiet times with her beloved paperback books.

After talking to Yoko, Haruka asked Shinobu to make some chicken and miso soup for herself and Keitaro. The young cook was glad to oblige, producing two large bowls of what seemed to be homemade soup, it was so tasty. Taking the bowls to Keitaro's room, she split the two bowls with him before he went to sleep for good.

Straitening her legs, Haruka crawled over to her nephew and watched him for a few moments. His respirations seemed to be easy and steady, he did not seem to be in pain, and his skin was warm but not hot and sweaty to the touch.

Haruka moved her fingers from his forehead to his throat and measured his heart rate. Sixty beats per minute, a good resting heart rate. Turning her hand so the back of her fingers were against his cheek, she could feel the downy hair that he had instead of the whiskers one would expect. Then again, Urashima men were not known for their beard growing abilities.

Moving back to the wall, Haruka leaned back and pulled her knees up to her chin again. Looking at her mobile again, she turned it on and went to the calls sent list, looking at the three unsuccessful calls she had made to Hina's mobile phone. The first two times the phone rang without an answer, the third time the call went straight to voicemail. Haruka did not know if Hina was avoiding her calls because of the stunt she pulled with Keitaro, but there was nothing to be done now. Instead, she left a message that Keitaro had been hurt and that she should call as soon as possible. There had been no call received after that.

Backing out to the mobile menu, Haruka went to the address book and scrolled to the house number for Keitaro's parents. She had not called them after the incident for two good reasons. One was that Keitaro did not seem to be seriously hurt, and she did not want to needlessly worry them. The other, more relevant, reason was the other person that lived with Kouji and Yuki; if she found out that not only was Keitaro was back in Tokyo but one of the people in the house he was in had injured him, she would hit the Hinata-sou like an American SWAT team hitting an inner-city meth lab, only with more histrionics, bloodshed and explosions.

Moving the address list to the listing marked 'Kanako U - mobile', Haruka considered her options. She did not want to leave Keitaro in a position where he was vulnerable to injury from one of the tenants. Naru was bad enough, but Motoko could be touchy too, and she was acting suspicious of the events of the last couple days. Keitaro was able to fend for himself normally, but right now he needed someone to watch his back. Haruka would have been more than glad to be his wingman, but she had a separate business to run, and needed to get some sleep eventually.

Rubbing the keys of the mobile, Haruka watched as the display went dim, then dark from the lack of activity. Keying the display back on, she considered her options.

The truth was Keitaro really had not made a decision if he was going to keep the dorm open. Given his experiences with first Motoko and now Naru, he would have completely justified in closing the dorm, or at least evicting those two, and maybe Kitsune as well. But Keitaro had a soft heart, at least as long as someone else was not being hurt. She knew that he would give those three a second chance. What it looked to be Haruka's job now was to make sure that those three did not hurt Keitaro or someone else as a result. She would not be able to watch his back indefinitely, but then again, she did not need to. That is what family was for.

Looking at the display of the mobile just as it went dim then dark again, Haruka noted that the time was now 4:30 AM. Still too early to make a non-emergency call. But after talking to Keitaro when he woke up later, she knew that a call was going to be made sometime afterwards.

Curling up, she looked back at Keitaro before closing her eyes so she could try and get back to sleep again. Now that the decision was made, she was able to doze off a few moments later.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

_Tap-tap-tap-tap._

"Keitaro-sempai? Haruka-sempai? Are you awake?"

Haruka came awake upon hearing the soft tapping at the door. Looking around, she saw she was still in Keitaro's room, curled up against the wall. The room was now filled with light streaming through the window, showing that the sun had been up for a while now. Hearing someone stirring besides her, she looked over to see Keitaro start to awake up.

Coming up to her feet, Haruka walked over to the door and opened it. In front of her was Shinobu, wearing an apron and standing with her hands clasped in front of her, her fingers twitching. Haruka could not help but smile at the young girl; if she ever had had a choice for a younger sister, Shinobu would have been it. "Good morning, Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu's head dipped slightly as she returned the greeting. "Good morning, Haruka-sempai. How are you feeling this morning?"

Stretching her back, Haruka could feel and hear some soft pops as the vertebra shifted into place. Turning her head and feeling pops come from her neck as well, she replied, "A little stiff, but nothing a hot bath won't cure."

Shinobu shifted on her feet. "How is Keitaro-sempai feeling today?" she asked while looking down at the floor.

Craning her head to the side, Haruka could see Keitaro coming to his feet. He was not wobbling but he was moving slowly. "Hey Kei-kun, how you feeling?"

"Like I fell off a ladder onto a table." Keitaro twisted his head and pops could be heard coming from his neck as well. "I'm sore, but it's nothing some aspirin won't fix."

"If you feel up to it, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes, Keitaro-sempai, Haruka-sempai." Shinobu spoke up from the doorway.

Keitaro winced and looked over at the young tenant. "Shinobu-chan…" Waiting for her to look straight at him but seeing that she was continuing to keep her gaze on the floor, he said in a firmer voice, "Shinobu-chan, look at me please." With a jerk, Shinobu locked eyes with the young landlord. "You calling me 'Keitaro-sempai' every minute is a bit much. I don't suppose you could just call me Keitaro or Kei-kun like she does?" He gestured over to Haruka, who now had an amused look on her face.

Shinobu gave a small gasp. "I couldn't do that, it would be improper! You're older than I am and the manager as well! I can't be so familiar with you."

"Shinobu-chan, you're more like a little sister to me than a junior in school." Shinobu did not say anything, but the now familiar blush now appeared on her face. "You don't mind me calling you '-chan', do you?" Shinobu shook her head vigorously. "So I really would prefer if you called me something less formal."

Shinobu stood there visibly thinking about the request, her mouth opening and closing slightly. After a few moments, her mouth firmed up and she looked back at Keitaro.

"I still think I should be more formal with you, but if you want me to call you something else, I suppose I should do as you ask. You do not mind if I call you a nickname?" Shinobu asked, her face serious.

"Sure, as long as it's not insulting or embarrassing." Keitaro smiled encouragingly at the young cook.

"In that case, then the nickname I will call you is… just the title 'sempai'." Shinobu said with an impish smile on her face.

Haruka could not help herself; she snorted out loud as she tried to keep from laughing. Keitaro was even less successful, as he laughed for a few moments as Shinobu stood there smiling.

"Good one, Shinobu. Looks like you got me." Keitaro grinned full force at the younger girl, causing her blush to come back. "If you're OK with calling me just 'sempai', I suppose I should be as well." Keitaro looked over at his alarm clock and noted the time. "Give us fifteen minutes to wash up and we'll be down for breakfast." He reached over and ruffled her hair, causing her blush to deepen.

"Very well, sempai, we'll see the two of you downstairs." Shinobu gave a slight bow before leaving for the kitchen.

Keitaro looked over at Haruka, who was smiling knowingly. "Another one bites the dust, Kei-kun?"

"What are you talking about, Haru-chan?" Keitaro turned and walked over to the dresser, pulling open a drawer.

"You don't know what that grin of yours does to people, do you?" Haruka continued smiling.

"No, really, what are you talking about?" Keitaro pulled out a dark blue t-shirt and tossed it over his shoulder.

"You don't know how girls melt when you smile at them like that?" Haruka was starting to sound incredulous now.

"I'm just being friendly when I do that. They all smile and blush. I'm not going to try anything, you know how I am with girls." Keitaro was now starting to look confused.

Haruka rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Gods above help us. You know who's the last girl I know of that you smiled like that at? Kanako."

Keitaro stilled as his eyes widened. "Oh… OH."

"Oh is right, Kei-kun. You already have one stalker in your life, let's not go for a pair." Haruka was smiling slightly again.

"So what should I do? I like Shinobu-chan, but not like that." Keitaro was beginning to look concerned.

"The same as you were before, you dofus," Haruka reached over and lightly smacked Keitaro on the back of the head, "just don't *grin* at her like that anymore."

Keitaro reached up and started to rub where she had hit him. "Who else have I smiled at like that?"

"Well, the only other one I can think of is that Kyoko girl from the summer beach shop, the one that was always dragging you away for walks on the beach." Haruka was rubbing her chin and looking thoughtful.

"She was scared of getting stung by the jellyfish." Keitaro replied, thinking back to the bespectacled pig-tailed girl.

"Which would have jumped out of the ocean and stung her? That's why she would always clasp your arm to her chest?"

"We were ten years old! She was too young to be thinking of stuff like that!" Keitaro responded with some heat.

"The girl that when you said goodbye that summer grabbed you in front of all our families and planted that big kiss on you?" Haruka was looking amused again.

"I thought she was just looking for my chewing gum!" Haruka did a double-take at that last statement before she saw the half-smile on her nephew's face.

"You jerk, you had me going for a second." Haruka playfully scowled at him.

"Yeah, well, you are the one that ruined my innocent memories of a childhood friend with your tawdry insinuations." Keitaro did not look very sorry. "Go ahead and wash up in my bathroom, I'll change shirts out here and brush my teeth after you get out and then we'll go downstairs."

"Are you going to do the room inspections today?" asked Haruka seriously.

Keitaro hummed as he thought for a moment. "If the tenants are OK with it, we'll do it an hour or so after breakfast. That way, they have time to get ready while we use the hot spring. I wasn't kidding about being sore from yesterday.

Haruka nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Kei-kun. I'm still stiff from sleeping sitting up."

Keitaro's eyes widened. "You what?" Looking around the room, he saw no other futon but his own. "Why the heck didn't you tell me, I would have let you have my futon."

"Yeah, the guy that crashed onto a table sleeping on a bare floor, uh huh. I don't think so." Haruka looked at Keitaro unamusedly.

"I could have asked someone to find another one…" Keitaro's voice trailed off.

"Look, I've slept in worse places, I'll be fine. We don't have that long before breakfast, so let's get going." Turning, Haruka walked into the bathroom, Keitaro resignedly shaking his head before starting to change his shirt.

* * *

><p>Coming down to breakfast was different than the dinner they had previously shared with the tenants. Instead of eating in the dining room, everyone was crowded around the smaller kitchen table. Keitaro could see various pots and pans on the stove with food in them, with Shinobu standing beside them with a serving spoon and clean plates at the ready. A plate full of food next to her on the counter showed she was eating standing up.<p>

Motoko, Kitsune, and Su were sitting at the table eating with various degrees of enthusiasm. Motoko was still eating like she was at a formal meal, but Kitsune was visible enjoying her food, while Su was still slamming down her food almost as fast as Shinobu was piling it on her plate. Keitaro was not sure where that food was going, but he was thinking that a dimensional warp was involved somehow.

"Good morning everyone." Keitaro called out as he and Haruka entered the kitchen. The occupants of the room all responded with various degrees of clarity, as Motoko was the only at the table that finished chewing her food before responding.

"What would you like for breakfast today, Sempais?" Shinobu handed both of them a plate as they looked over what was ready. The meal looked to be a combination of both Eastern and Western food, with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast on one side, and miso soup and steamed rice on the other. The smell of coffee filled the air, while a tea kettle and cups stood ready for tenants with different tastes.

"Eggs, sausage and toast for me, Shinobu-chan. A large cup of coffee as well." Keitaro held out his plate as Shinobu filled it with food, then waited until she filled a large mug with steaming java. Looking over at the table, he saw that there were only two places left, and there was an empty but clean cup and plate at one already. "Looks like there won't be enough room for the both of us, Haru-chan," he said as he stepped over to the counter and prepared to eat standing up.

"I'm sorry, Sempai, but there are normally not this many people eating breakfast at one time." Shinobu looked genuinely upset at the statement. "As soon as someone finishes you can sit down."

"Not a problem, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro took a sip of his steaming coffee and closed his eyes in pleasure. "This is very good coffee, Shinobu-chan, you sure you're not working as a barista somewhere?"

Shinobu blushed slightly in pleasure. "No, Sempai. Haruka-sempai taught me how to properly make tea and coffee when I first arrived here. She also helps me get better quality coffee and tea to use at a lower price."

"Well, good job Haru-chan," Keitaro raised his mug in a salute to his aunt, who was now sitting down and working on her own breakfast. She nodded her response, as she was busy eating.

After a few moments of eating cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage, Keitaro looked around and asked, "Where is Narusegawa-san? I have an announcement to make." He did not notice that almost everyone in the room stiffened slightly, except for Su, who was obvious as usually, and Haruka.

"Naru-sempai usually comes down late for breakfast, Sempai. She has a hard time waking up in the morning." Shinobu replied.

Keitaro nodded in response. "Very well, if she doesn't make it down here before we finish eating, I'll go to her room and tell her." At this point it was Haruka that stiffened slightly. "As you all know, the room inspections last night were postponed due to me face-planting into a table from the stepladder. As I'm feeling better now, I want to do the inspections this morning." Keitaro paused as he looked down at his wristwatch. "It's 8:30 AM now, so I was thinking of starting them at 10:00 AM. That way you all have a chance to neaten up if you have to, and I have a chance to use the hot spring this morning."

Motoko spoke up for the first time that morning. "The spring is not set up for males to be in there, Manager-san," she stated with a frown.

Keitaro looked at her for a long moment, almost causing her to fidget. "The spring used to be open mixed bathing before, that's what it's going to be again. I'm only going to use it for maybe a half an hour in the morning and in the evening, so it wouldn't be fair for me to not use it the times you guys aren't in there. In fact, I'll set up hours that will be female only, but for now the spring will be mixed bathing, and swimsuits will *not* be optional." Motoko looked like she wanted to argue, but in the end she did not say anything else, as Naru came stumbling into the kitchen, almost literally. The brunette was wearing her horn-rimmed glasses, her hair was sticking up at all angles, and she was wearing what looked to be just an overlong t-shirt, but shorts could be seen peeking from below the hem. She sat down at the empty place of the table, almost falling into the chair. Silently, Shinobu poured coffee into the large mug, and without adding any cream or sugar, Naru started to guzzle down the steaming hot drink like it was cold soda.

After Naru drank down the entire mug before giving out a sigh, Shinobu refilled the mug and placed some buttered toast on the plate. Seeing that Naru was now sipping at the coffee, Shinobu greeted her. "Good morning, Naru-sempai."

Naru hummed for a moment before putting down her mug. "Morning, Shinobu-chan. Gods, I had the weirdest dream last night, and I didn't sleep right after that."

"Did the dream involve whipped cream and Seta again?" Kitsune made her presence known, smirking slightly, while Haruka's eyebrow quirked upwards at the question.

Naru blushed. "No it didn't, you freak. And no Su, Seta isn't tasty." She said, cutting off the question that Su had her mouth open to ask. Kitsune looked like she wanted to disagree with Naru's last statement, but keep quiet in the end. "I dreamed that some pervert cut a hole in my floor so he could peep on me in my underwear."

"Well, you weren't completely right, and it wasn't a dream, Naru-san." Haruka drawled. The prep student looked at her for a moment, surprised to see her there when they hardly ever saw her in the morning, then looked over at where the older female was nodding, seeing the new manager standing next to the counter, a half-smile on his face as he gave a short wave at her. Naru's face flushed as she started to get angry, but Haruka cut her off. "Mind explaining why you have a hole in your room floor? It looks like it's been there for a while, and the hole was not cut with tools. It looks like it was blown through."

Naru's flush turned into an embarrassed blush. "One day a pervert groped me on the train home, and he got away before I could hit him. I got home angry, and I tripped over some shoes on the floor and I fell on my hands and knees. I was so mad I punched the floor with my fist, and I blasted a hole through it."

Haruka looked at Naru with a raised eyebrow. "You were able to do that with one punch?" Naru nodded silently. "And not break every bone in your hand?" She nodded again. "You study martial arts, Naru-san?"

Naru shook her head. "I was shown how to protect myself by an upperclassman at school, but I never had formal training."

Both of Haruka's eyebrows were up now. "You know how rare it is to be able to use chi reinforcement without training, Naru-san? It usually takes years of instruction, like Motoko-san has." The kendoist nodded in silent agreement. "There is only one exception to that, and it's a bad thing."

Naru looked at Haruka in concern. "What would that be?"

"Well, there is another exception to that, and that is that you are on a adrenaline rush. Problem with that is that you are just hitting something with your pain receptors turned off, and you can do a lot of damage to yourself since you are not reinforced. The real exception is something you may have heard of. You ever hear the term 'berserker'"?

"Kinda. It's someone that goes crazy, right?" Naru was starting to look concerned.

"Sort of. Some of the old Viking and Norse warriors would dress up in bear and wolf skins, take psychedelic mushrooms and start war dances to frighten their enemies. They would believe that the animal spirits would possess them, and help them in battle. Some people said that berserkers would start glowing." Motoko's eyes widened as she understood where Haruka was going with this. "In the Eastern world martial artists call that a ki aura, and they could control it better, but bad things happen if someone is angry enough to produce a ki aura and they are not trained in how to use it."

"Like what?" This time the question came from Kitsune, who was looking interested. "And what the difference between chi and ki?"

"Chi is life energy, all living things produce it. Martial artists can produce large amounts of this energy and use it to internally reinforce their bodies so they don't get injured while fighting. Ki is when they can externally manifest the energy so it can be seen visually and use it as attacks, like Motoko-san does.

"When untrained people reach high levels of emotions like rage, sometimes they manifest a ki aura or they just unconsciously use chi to reinforce their bodies and strength. They can enter what is called a battle rage, where they just keep attacking until they run out of enemies or energy. Sometimes they're as big a danger to their friends as their enemies. But there is one thing that is worse."

"I'm almost afraid to ask." Kitsune had lost the smile on her face.

"It's called going 'kill crazy'. They start killing any person around them, enemies, friends, innocents, everyone. Sometimes they have to be killed themselves to stop them, and they usually have a mental breakdown as a result of what happened when they lost control." Haruka shook her head. "Thankfully that's pretty rare now. For a while the police would blame PCP for people raging like that, but most police know what it is now, and how to deal with it."

"How do they deal with it, Haruka-sempai?" Hearing Shinobu ask that question reminded Haruka that there are really some things that should not be spoken of around the younger residents, even if Su was busy eating her usual half-dozen bananas.

"Nowadays they have Tasers, electro-shock guns that can knock someone out. You hit someone several times with that and it usually works." Haruka decided not to mention there was only one other option after that, and it involved a police sharpshooter. Thankfully, the other tenants did not ask for that clarification. Naru and Kitsune were starting to look worried, Motoko was looking troubled, but Shinobu thankfully did not fully realize the implications of what they were talking about and who it applied to.

"Anyway, Keitaro and I are going to do the room inspections at 10:00 AM, Naru-san. You all need to be ready by then. Keitaro is going to be using the hot spring right now, and I need to check with the opening employees at the teahouse before I join him. If anything comes up, you know where to find us." Haruka looked over at Keitaro, who silently nodded in agreement. He walked over to the sink and quickly washed his dishes, including Haruka's when she handed them to him. The two then walked out of the kitchen, leaving the tenants to their troubled thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>Author Note: I want to thank all the people who have been reading my story and written reviews, especially the ones that do so for multiple chapters. Reviews here and at TFF are what gives me the encouragement to write, and it is a lot better to read it in written words in a review rather than just numbers and statistics in the authors page on FFN (although it is cool to see that people are reading your story in as varied places as Germany, Italy, Russia, Pakistan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and of course all the English-speaking countries out there - that is at least one country on each continent except Antarctica, and I'm working on that… *grin*). <em>

_Point to all this is that while I am planning on keeping my current writing rate at two chapters a week, I could probably be encouraged to write even faster if I get feedback more frequently. Plus, I want to know how the readers feel about certain tangents I take, like the previous chapter where I showed young Haruka meeting toddler Keitaro for the first time. Since I got only three reviews for that chapter, and not one mentioned the section set in the past, I don't know if I should continue doing sections like that or not. As I've said before, your thoughts are always appreciated._

_Also, should I release new chapters on the weekends? I thought that more people would respond if you first read the chapter during your free time, but if you all are reading this on your work computer, I can always set release days to be during the work week._

_Thanks again for reading my story, and good luck to you all._

_-Greydon Creed_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author Note: Sorry it took so long for me to post this new chapter. The good news is that at 6800 words it's almost twice the size of a regular chapter, and the long awaited room inspections finally take place. Unfortunately, the size of the chapter pretty much demands that Keitaro calling Kanako and the meeting announcing the new dorm rules will have to take place in the next chapter. Hopefully, that chapter will be posted later this week. Thanks for all the feedback, and I hope you all enjoy this new chapter._

* * *

><p>After leaving the kitchen, Haruka pulled out her mobile phone to call down to the teahouse. Keitaro went ahead to his room to get his swim trunks and a change of clothes, then went over the hot spring. Seeing that the scrub room was empty, he was able to wash up fairly quickly before changing into the trunks. After peering into the mirror over the sink and rubbing his chin sadly, he headed over to the steaming pool and slowly lowered himself into the water. Giving a loud sigh, Keitaro was able to relax for a few minutes before he heard the door to the scrub room slide open.<p>

"Hello, I'm in the pool back here," Keitaro called out, not wanting to have another unfortunate misunderstanding with one of the tenants again.

"Yeah, I kinda knew that, Kei-kun." Haruka strolled into the pool area, her body wrapped in a large towel while she carrying another one in her hands. "You might want to close your eyes and look away for a minute, though." Keitaro followed his aunt's suggestion, hearing some splashing and hissing as she lowered herself into the water before he heard, "OK, you can look now." Looking back at his aunt, he saw that she was sitting alongside him, but a short distance away. The vapor and water of the pool concealed almost everything however it was obvious that she was not wearing anything.

"You know, the tenants are going to get ticked if they come in here and see that you are in your birthday suit in the pool after I told them they have to wear swimsuits in here." Keitaro was not bothered by Haruka's nudity, as he had experience in the mixed gender public baths that were still somewhat common in Japan, although not as much as when he was younger. Also, Haruka usually warned him when she entered and left the family hot spring when they were both there, so in reality it was not like he saw very much.

"Yeah, well screw them, I'm not feeling very charitable." Keitaro raised an eyebrow at his aunt, who had made a pad out one of the towels and put it on the edge of the pool to rest her head on with her eyes closed. "After what Naru did last night and the holier-than-thou routine Motoko has going, I'm not in a good mood right now anyway."

"Is this something recent, or something that's you've been feeling for a while?" Keitaro asked.

"No, this is new. I've known the tenants since they all moved in here, but I've never interacted with them much. Granny was the one that was seeing them every day. Guess this is just me seeing their bad sides now." Haruka turned her head to one side then another, producing audible pops from her neck.

"OK, give me a thumbnail sketch, what you do know about them?" Keitaro wanted to hear his aunt's opinion on his tenants.

"Well… Kaolla Su is a hyperactive genius type, only she comes from a rich foreign family, so she can afford to do her research, and pay for the damages when they go boom."

"Wait, her experiments actually blow up?" Keitaro sounded concerned at that news.

"Well, every once in a while you hear a loud bang and some smoke comes out her room window, but Granny never mentioned any actual damage. The bigger risk is being run over by one of her mechanical turtles." Keitaro winced at that statement, already having had a run-in with MechaTama his first day at the Sou. "There are a couple of suit types that come in every week or so to check up on her, but Granny was the one that really kept an eye on her.

"Shinobu Maehara is the sweetest kid you'll probably meet, which makes it worse when her parents use her in a tug-of-war in their divorce. She ran away from home one day and met Granny in the park and started talking. By that evening Granny had brought her home, reamed her parents a new one for having Shinobu in their crossfire, and convinced them to let her stay at the Sou. They share custody of Shinobu, but they pretty much made Granny her guardian.

"Motoko Aoyama is the younger daughter from a clan in Kyoto. I don't know why they decided to send her to school in Tokyo, but they were friends of Granny, and she arranged for Motoko to stay here. The Aoyama clan is famous for their school of sword fighting and for being demon slayers, though there isn't much call for that these days." Haruka grinned. "Part of their school is using ki attacks, and I think you already saw that." Keitaro nodded ruefully.

"I don't know what the full story is, but Motoko had something of a falling out with some members of her family. Even so, she is still the heir of their kendo school, and she is always practicing with her sword on the roof in the laundry drying area or in the glen over by the Annex. She is not supposed to do her ki attacks except in a special area, so don't be afraid to get on her case if she does.

"Mitsune Konno was Naru's friend in school, even though she was a year ahead of her. When she graduated she didn't have the drive or the grades to get into a university, so she started doing part-time jobs to pay for her bills. Kitsune's a party girl, so she is always bar-hopping and looking for a good time. She's into horse racing and betting on it, so she really doesn't have a lot of money to spare. The only close members of her family she has left was some uncle or something, and they kept butting heads on her party ways, so she had to leave and find a place of her own. She came to crash with Naru for a while, then she talked with Granny and she let her have a room here. You have to watch out for her, since she doesn't have a lot of money she tries to scam people for sake and betting money, and you might be next on her list."

Haruka paused to catch her breath when Keitaro spoke up. "She may have already tried to do that. Or at least she tried to kiss me."

Looking over at him out of the corner of her eye, Haruka asked, "Tried to kiss you? What happened?"

Keitaro shrugged. "I was in the kitchen making tea, she was coming on to me, and when she started leaning into me, the tea kettle started whistling and I pulled away. She left after that."

"You didn't let her kiss you? Why not, she's an attractive girl." Haruka turned her head so both her eyes were focused on him.

"She's not really my type. Never really was into drinking, plus there is something about her that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Now that I know that she's a scammer, I know why I'm getting that feeling."

"You really think that she would seduce you for financial reasons?" Haruka asked seriously.

"Well, I do know that she is two months behind on the rent, she doesn't have a well paying job, and she was eyeballing me pretty hard when she found out that I'm the heir to the Sou. You do the math." Keitaro suddenly felt tired.

"As long as you know what you are dealing with." Haruka shrugged. "But now we have to talk about the biggest thorn here, Naru Narusegawa."

"I first met her when she was a little kid, and she was really nice. She's OK now, but she has a temper on her that belongs on a volcano. I don't know what the deal is, but she has problems with men. I mean, guys try crap on the trains and stuff, but Naru just blows up when that happens. Even Motoko doesn't do as much damage as Naru does when she really gets going. I've heard of men winding up with broken bones after she hits them, but they have all been after they tried to molest her, so the cops let it go.

"I don't know what happened to her in her life, but Naru doesn't want to be around guys who come on to her. I've seen her dress down and try and look nerdy when she goes off to that prep school of hers, but it doesn't work very well." Keitaro nodded. Even with her hair in braids and wearing her horn-rimmed glasses, Naru was still a very attractive girl. "Naru moved down to the Hinata-sou so she would be closer to Todai and the prep school she attends. Lately she's been working her butt off to do well in her studies, and it's been paying off. I heard that she gets the top scores at her prep school, let's just hope it stays that way when she takes the actual exam." Keitaro agreed with that, as he had some very personal experience with doing well with the prep work and messing up on the actual exam.

"Not that I don't know what you're going to say, but what do you think about doing with this place? Are you going to try and keep it open as a dorm, or are you going to shut it down?" Haruka sat up and turned so she was facing Keitaro now.

Keitaro sighed. "I know that in theory I really should shut down the dorm, but I don't want to boot those girls out on the street, especially Shinobu and Su. I don't feel a lot of sympathy toward Konno, but she and Aoyama and Narusegawa deserve at least one chance. I'm really going to have to lay down the law to them if we are going to make this work.

"Long-term, I want to make this place back into an resort inn again, but with the economy the way it is, I'm not sure that's really sustainable. Plus, there's Todai for me, and I wouldn't be able to study and hopefully attend if I have a full-time job here."

"Speaking of which, you are going to call Kanako to come over here, right?" Keitaro nodded at Haruka's question. "That's good, because you're going to need her for more than just help around the Sou. Tell me something first, what happened when you stuck your head though that hole in Naru's floor?"

Keitaro winced. "I was looking around to see where I was when I finally saw her. She was standing there turning beet red and then she started running towards me to kick at me, I guess. I tried to duck down, but I couldn't bend down far enough and when she hit the board, the force pushed me down hard enough to knock me loose from you and throw me from the ladder."

"You do know that if Naru had managed to kick you as enraged as she was, she could have taken your head off?" Keitaro nodded, his face grim. "And she wasn't going to stop when she dropped though the hole into your room. I was lucky I was able to shock her into stopping. I stayed last night to keep an eye on you, but I can't keep doing that.

"With Naru being the way she is, I think you're going to need Kanako to watch your back. I know you can defend yourself, but you may not be able to stop her without doing some major damage. With Kanako there, it might not get that messy."

"This is Kanako we're talking about here, right? The girl that doesn't understand the concepts of restraint or overkill?" Keitaro watched as Haruka's eyes scrunched shut in a wince.

"Hey, you're talking to her former sparring partner here, I know as well as you do what she can do in a fight. But I also know that if you are going to run this place you are going to need her, and not just to protect you from crazed tenants. If we set down some firm rules for her, I think she can do well here helping you."

Keitaro nodded. "Speaking of rules, we are going to have to set some for the tenants as well. I don't like the fact that Konno is drinking around the kids, and there is no real reason for Aoyama to be carrying around her actual sword all the time."

"Well, that is something we can sort out after we do those bloody inspections. Gods above, it feels like we've been talking about this for a week instead of just a couple days," Haruka complained.

Keitaro gave a rueful grin. "I know what you're talking about, Haru-chan." Looking down at his watch, he saw that the time was now 9:35 AM. "It's time to get going, after the inspections we'll go down to the teahouse and hash things out there. We can call Kanako after that, then make the announcements to the tenants tomorrow morning after breakfast."

"Sounds good, nephew mine." Haruka started to stand, but Keitaro was able to turn his head and close his eyes in time to not see much.

"Geez, Haru! Give a guy some warning!" Keitaro's face was red and it was not from the temperature of the water.

"Why? Do I have something you've never seen before?" Haruka stood there for a moment, one of her hands on her hip.

"No, but not since I was six years old." Keitaro keep his eyes firmly shut.

"Wasn't that when you would run out of the spring naked and streak the house, and I would have to chase you dressed only in a towel? Granny would be laughing her ass off and taking pictures at the same time?" Haruka stepped out of the spring and starting wrapping the towel around her.

Keitaro cringed. "Thank you for reminding me of that."

"You can look now." Opening his eyes, Keitaro saw that Haruka was covered up. "Give me a couple of minutes then come after me. I'll meet you at your room." Keitaro nodded as he hoisted himself out of the spring and started to dry himself off as she started to walk toward the scrub room.

* * *

><p>"So, how do you want to do this, Kei-kun?"<p>

Keitaro and Haruka stood at the head of the stairs on the second floor of the Sou. He could still see the scorch marks from Su's rockets launched from her MechaTama, and remembered that he had written it down as damages that need repairs, although not on an immediate basis. The hole in Naru's floor was the first repair on the immediate list, although he was going to wait for Kanako to show up first before going into *that* lion's den.

"Tell me who is in what room now?" Keitaro asked, looking down the corridor.

"Ok, starting from the left next to us is Kitsune's room, then Su's double room. Motoko's room is at the far right, then Shinobu's room, then Naru's is next to us on the right. As you may have realized, that puts your room right below Naru's." Haruka grinned at Keitaro with the last statement.

"Oh ha ha." Keitaro's back was still sore from last night's shenanigans. He remembered reading in Naru's tenant book entry that Granny had marked down that there was a hole in her room floor that needed repair, but that it was not an immediate concern. It had sounded like the hole was something like a mouse hole, not one big enough for someone to pass through. "We'll do this by the numbers, and leave the best for last."

Haruka watched as Keitaro stepped in front but slightly to the side of Kitsune's door so that he was mostly standing in front of the wall next to the knob. Reaching over with his left hand, he knocked on the door then pulled it back. Looking over at Haruka, who had an eyebrow raised, Keitaro scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly, "I once had a bad experience with a door and a full auto paintball gun."

Before Haruka could ask about that experience the door opened slowly, revealing Kitsune, her eyes blinking as though she had just woken up. Looking past her, Keitaro and Haruka could see the covers on the bed were rumpled, not that the bed or the room for that matter were anywhere near neat. "Good morning Manager-san, Haruka-san."

"Good morning, Konno-san. It's that time." Opening the door wider, Kitsune watched as the two Urashima walked through the door and stopped in the middle of the room. Looking around, they could see that while the room was somewhat messy with strewn clothes and magazines, there did not seem to be much wrong with the room itself. There was a laptop computer sitting on a low table to the side, as well as some notebooks that seemed to be filled with scribbles, empty soda cans and coffee cups.

"I take it housekeeping is not your strong suit, Konno-san?" asked Keitaro as he started writing on his clipboard, even though he was eyeing the nervously shifting fox girl.

"Not so much, I start writing a new article, next thing you know, stuff winds up all over the place." Kitsune was shifting from foot to foot.

"Well, the good thing is that there isn't food trash up here, that kind of thing brings in bugs and vermin." Keitaro walked over to the sole window of the room and pushed the faded curtain aside. The glass on the other side was very dusty, almost to the point of being opaque. Tugging slightly on the sash, the window stuck for a moment then slid upwards, releasing a small puff of dust. Pushing the window back down, Keitaro let the curtain drop back into place.

"There is no problems or damages in the room that need to be worked on, Konno-san?" Keitaro was scribbling on his clipboard as he walked away from the window and back to the center of the room.

"Nope, everything is pretty much fine the way it is." Kitsune was now clasping her hands in front of her.

"Even the dust?" Keitaro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… maybe not that." Kitsune smiled, but it came out a bit forced.

"Hn." Keitaro noised as he glanced at his aunt, who had been silently standing there. Looking back at Kitsune he asked, "Is there a reason why you are so nervous, Konno-san?"

Kitsune grimaced. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I'm worried if I'm going to be able to stay here."

Keitaro nodded slightly. "I can understand that. There's nothing here so far that would prevent you from staying if I decide to keep the dorm open. There are going to be some new rules however, and following them will be a condition of tenancy here at the Sou."

Kitsune nodded her head. "I can follow the rules, don't have many options if I have to leave here."

Smiling slightly, Keitaro nodded toward his tenant. "I'm glad to hear that. That should be it, but there is just more thing, Konno-san."

"What's that?" The fox girl tensed slightly.

"If I were to ask Haru-chan to look in your closet, what would she find there?" Keitaro dropped the smile from his face and looked squarely at the younger woman.

Kitsune swallowed the lump in her throat. After a moment she answered, "A giant pile of dirty laundry and a box full of empty sake bottles."

Looking in her eyes for a long moment, Keitaro smiled slightly again. "I'll take your word for it. Please don't ever make me regret that, Kitsune-san."

Letting out a breath she did not know she was holding, Kitsune smiled as well. "Thank you Manager-san."

"There's going to be a meeting after breakfast tomorrow regarding the final decisions about the dorm. We'll see you around till then." Nodding his head to Kitsune, Keitaro turned and left the room, Haruka following behind him.

* * *

><p>Stopping in the hallway, Keitaro was writing again when he felt his aunt's presence next to him. Looking up, he could see that her head was cocked slightly to the side as she looked at him.<p>

"You know you were really psyching her out, right?" Haruka was surprised to see Keitaro smile at the remark.

"That was the point, Haru-chan. Konno has to realize that I'm in charge of the Sou now, and that playing games would really be a bad idea. I didn't want to scare her though."

"Well, you were on the ragged edge there, Kei-kun." Haruka reached over and lightly bopped Keitaro on the head. "But you got the job done."

"So next up is Su's room?" Keitaro started walking toward the end of the hall.

"Yep, and it would be a good idea to stand to the side of this door as well." The two Urashima stopped in front of the door with a placard attached marked with an odd insignia, which resembled three eyes in a triangle formation. There was some odd script below the eyes, but it was not recognizable as either Japanese or English.

"Oh?" Keitaro did as his aunt suggested, only this time his entire body was to one side as he reached over to knock.

"Yeah, I've heard from Granny what happens when Su's door is opened. It gets… interesting." Haruka stood behind Keitaro as he knocked.

For some reason, the force of his knuckles on the door panel pushed the door open, as though the door had not been properly secured.

The door had only reached the half-way mark as it opened before there was a barrage of loud pops, and what looked to a volley of suction cup darts launched through the half open door and hit the wall opposite it. Looking at the wall, Keitaro could see at least fifty darts quivering in place, reaching from floor to ceiling.

"Interesting, huh?" Keitaro looked over at Haruka, who merely shrugged in response.

* * *

><p>"Last one." Keitaro and Haruka stopped in front of Narusegawa's door.<p>

Inspecting the previous tenant rooms had proved interesting. Su's rooms had literally been the most exotic, as she had fake jungle trees and bushes set up in the first room instead of regular furniture, with a hammock strung between two of the trees. Dressers that resembled hollowed out tree trunks were against the back wall, and the smell of bananas filled the air. What sounded like recorded jungle birdcalls could be heard in the background; at least Keitaro hoped they were recorded.

The second room turned out to be a miniature yet fully stocked engineering lab, complete with full safety gear, reinforced Plexiglas work boxes… and forced air vents and blowout panels on the outside wall. Su had cheerfully stated that sometimes her experiments went a little… critical… at the wrong times, but with the safety gear there was little if any damage to the building.

Apparently, all of this had been paid for by Su's family, as well as the installation. Granny had approved of all of it at the cost of triple the normal rent, plus Su's family paying for an extensive insurance policy. Keitaro resolved to closely look over Su's rental agreement to see what was involved, and to maybe glean what Granny was thinking in making this kind of agreement with a 14 year old girl.

Aoyama's room was more calming, even if there was literally a certain… edge… to it. She had no bed or chairs, instead having tatami mats and a futon on the floor along with a low table to work at. There was a couple of dressers along one wall, but what really drew a person's attention was along the opposite wall.

A full set of what looked to be custom fitted samurai armor was displayed on a upright rack. The armor was lacquered in gloss black and crimson, and a fearsome demon's mask was the faceguard to the iron helmet.

Beside the armor was something that was just as impressive, even if it did not have the literal flash that the armor did. Two swords sat upon a horizontal rack on a low table, the longer curved _katana_ blade on top, with the shorter and straighter _wakizashi_ blade set below it, both with natural colored wooden mounts and in plain wooden sheaths. A vertical rack was on the floor next to the table held wooden training swords, including light bamboo _shinai_ and heavier solid _boken_.

Knowing how touchy kendoists were about people handling their swords, Keitaro politely asked Motoko to draw her sword from its sheath and hold it so he could look at it. Motoko did not look greatly enthused by the request but did as she was asked. Keitaro and Haruka had been greatly impressed by the blade of the _katana_, which Motoko had informed them was named _Shisui_. The grain of the steel was clearly visible, and the _hamon_, the line where the difference in tempering showed between the hardened razor sharp steel of the edge and the softer spine of the sword that allowed the sword to flex instead of shatter, undulated in a near perfect wavy pattern.

Shinobu's room was everything that one would expect from a teenage girl's room, although one that maybe had not reached adolescence. The western style bed looked like it would pass the most hardened drill sergeant's inspection, although he would not be impressed with the trio of plushy bears sitting on top of the pillows along with other plushies sitting on top of the dresser and a couple of shelves. A sole picture in a frame sat on the western style desk; a smiling couple and what looked to be a much younger Shinobu, presumably in happier times. The carpet was freshly vacuumed, and if there was dust in the room, it was hiding in a deep dark corner.

Finally coming up to the last room to be inspected, Keitaro took a deep breath. Looking over his shoulder to see that Haruka was once again behind him and giving him an encouraging thumbs up, he reached over and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, the door opened and Naru was standing there, a frown not quite on her face. A moment passed before she could bring herself to speak. "Good Morning Manager-san, Haruka-san."

"Morning, Narusegawa-san. It's time for the room inspection." Keitaro said in a semi-cheerful voice. One corner of Naru's mouth ticked before she stepped back and opened the door fully.

Stepping inside the room, Keitaro and Haruka saw that Naru's room was a weird combination of what they had seen in Kitsune's and Shinobu's rooms. Furnished western style, the room was similar to Shinobu's but it was certainly more of like Kitsune's in that instead of a desk a low table was off to the side with text books, prep guides and notebooks stacked on top, along with a laptop computer. Other books and study materials were spread throughout the room, and on top of the dresser was a framed picture of a younger Naru and Kitsune, both in high school uniforms and flashing 'V' signs and wide smiles at the camera. Another picture was alongside of Naru with an older couple and a younger girl, presumably her family.

"This should not take very long, Narusegawa-san, we just have to ask some routine questions." Keitaro winced at what he had just said; he sounded more like a police investigator than a dorm manager.

"Fine, go ahead." Naru crossed her arms in front of herself, her hands holding her elbows. Given what he knew of body signals, Keitaro knew this was a defensive posture.

"How long has that hole been in the floor, Narusegawa-san?" Keitaro gestured to the section of the floor covered with a piece of plywood, a large plushy sitting on top of it.

"About six months now. It was when I had first started at prep school." Naru tightened her arms and looked away from the hole.

"What did Granny Hina have to say about the hole?" Keitaro was more than a little curious to Hina's reaction, as the notation in the tenant book had literally been two lines - 'Hole in Naru's floor, covered. No rush to repair'.

"I don't think she minded it, actually. I would push the cover to the side and we would talk to each other at night though the hole." Naru's hands slipped from her elbows and down, to where her hands were clasped in front of her.

"Did she ever tell you what she was going to charge you for the repairs?" This was something of a trick question, as Keitaro knew that Granny Hina could be forgiving of someone if she thought they were not truly at fault. If she thought that you had screwed up on your own however, gods above help you.

"She gave me the choice of either paying the equivalent of half my rental deposit at once or pay it off over several months. I paid extra on the rent for three months."

Keitaro nodded as he wrote something down on his clipboard before looking up and at her directly. "Is there any other damage in the room that I should know about?"

"No, everything else is fine here." Narusegawa looked at him for a moment before looking away.

Keitaro walked over to the board on the floor and looked down at it. There was a large crack running through it, directly under where the plushy sat. "You know that even with the hole covered it's still a safety hazard? I'll have to repair it, and as soon as possible."

Naru nodded. "I understand. When are you going to do it?"

Keitaro shrugged. "I have to wait for my sister to arrive, that will be in a day or so. I'll give you fair warning, and she's going to be assisting me." He dropped down to one knee beside the board and gestured towards the plushy. "You want to pick up Lido-kun for a minute?"

Naru nodded jerkily and stepped over in front of him, picking up the plushy and hugging it to her chest. Keitaro moved the board to one side and started inspecting the hole in the floor, looking closely at the edges and the structural supports that ran through alongside them. After a minute of looking and writing notes, he pushed the board back and looked over at Naru. "You can put Lido-kun back now."

Standing up as Naru put the plushy back on the board, Keitaro waited for a moment before Naru was looking at him again. "There is one more thing we have to talk about. Your temper." Naru's face had a combination of worry and anger on it as she nodded her head but did not say anything.

"I know we got off on the wrong foot," Haruka had to suppress a snort at the understatement, "and we've had some misunderstandings," Haruka was barely able to control the cough that would have escaped at that one, "but you do realize that you did overreact to what were essentially accidents?"

Naru did not look happy as she responded. "Look, I know I have a temper problem. It's just that so much crap happens that the only way to stop it is to punch the perverts that are doing it. It's one of the reasons I moved here, to be closer to my prep school and Todai, and not have to take so many trains and trolleys."

Keitaro's eyes widened. "The problem is getting that bad?" The answer to that came from behind him.

"Yeah, it gets bad, Kei-kun," Haruka replied. "The train lines had to set up female-only cars to cut back on the gropings. Even so, there is a lot that goes on, and even with the transit police on the lookout, with the trains as packed as they are, a lot of stuff happens. I try not to take the trains myself, and if I do, one time out of three someone will try something."

"What do you do about it, Haru?" His aunt was not the type to take that kind of thing very well.

"I break fingers, wrists, or knee them in the balls, usually." Haruka stated calmly. "If they really get out of hand, or there are more than one of them, I start using the family techniques."

Keitaro winced at that. The Urashima family techniques were not a martial arts system per se, as much as they were a collection of almost every underhanded maneuver and dirty trick the various family members had come across, both Eastern and Western. While most Urashimas trained in some formal martial arts system, the family techniques were only used in situations where they were in serious danger.

"You said that you were shown how to protect yourself in school, Narusegawa-san? What did that training consist of?" Keitaro turned back to the tenant.

"How to punch and hit correctly, so I won't be hurt by it and to make sure the target goes down. That was pretty much it." Naru replied.

Keitaro sighed at that. That was probably the most irresponsible way to teach someone to fight. When a person only had one or two ways to fight, they would have to responds to all threats the same way, regardless of the actual level of danger. It was a literal physical example of the old axiom that when the only tool you have is a hammer, then all problems begin to look like nails.

"You didn't answer my question though, Narusegawa-san. You do realize that the altercations we had were the result of accidents, and not deliberate action on my part?" Keitaro was looking steadily at Naru, who was trying not to squirm.

"Yeah, I know that now." Naru did not look happy at the admission.

"And that if you had let me explain myself in either case, it would not have gone as far as it did?" Keitaro continued with his line of thought.

"Yes." Naru's face flushed and she looked down at the plushy and away from the eyes of the two Urashima.

"If you are to continue living here Narusegawa-san, you have to get a much better grip on that temper. I can defend myself normally, but last time I couldn't, and my aunt had to protect me. I don't want that to happen again, because it's not just you and I living here, it's other people, some of whom can't defend themselves at all. Remember what Haruka said earlier about battle rage? You're almost a textbox example of it."

Naru did not say anything to that, only nodding her head in a jerky manner. Keitaro and Haruka could see that the anger was pretty much gone from her expression, leaving only the worry.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Narusegawa-san. Will you be able to keep quiet about it? It's not a bad thing." Naru considered for a moment then nodded. "I'm going to leave the dorm open and let the current tenants stay." Naru's head jerked up as she looked at him wide-eyed as Keitaro continued. "However, there are going to be some new rules put in place that are as a result of specific tenants, and you're going to know who they are. One of them is going to be you."

Keitaro paused for a moment, and as Naru did not say anything, continued talking. "The rule is going to be that tenants are not allowed to use force against each other unless they sincerely think they are in danger or that someone else is in danger. The force to be used in that case will be proportional and necessary. For example, if someone were to fall on you, you should only push them away. If they continue to assault you, or they are deliberately attempting to hurt you, then you can use greater force to stop them. Even then, it has to be reasonable. Punching someone to stop them is one thing; punching someone hard enough to blast a hole though them probably isn't." Naru flinched but after a moment nodded.

"And I have to tell you one more thing. You already had two strikes with what happened in the hot spring, and what happened in my room last night. This is your last chance, if you come at someone without good reason, and with unnecessary levels of force, I will evict you. Understand?" Naru nodded. "I have to hear you say it, Narusegawa-san."

"I understand." Naru said quietly

"If a decision to evict someone is needed, it's going to be determined by myself, my sister, and Haruka together. I have to tell you, I'm probably the nicest one of the lot." Haruka fake-scowled at Keitaro, but he just smiled at her before continuing. "I'm sorry it came to this, but I have people to protect here, with me being the least of them. If I have to defend myself or someone else here at the Sou because you are in a rage, you're probably going to sustain a lot of damage before you finally stop. So I will help you with some basic training that will help you control your temper. That training will also be a condition of you staying here. Are you going to be able to live with that, Narusegawa-san?"

"Yes, yes I can." Naru looked back at the two of them, determination starting to rise in her face.

"Good then. I would have hated to throw a fellow Lido-kun fan out of the Sou." Naru got a quizzical look on her face as Keitaro nodded down at the plushy on the floor next to them. "I used to watch 'Lido-kun and Friends' on TV when I was a boy with my friends. It's one of my happier memories." Keitaro smiled at the tenant, who cautiously returned the smile.

"We're all done here, Narusegawa-san. Haru-chan and I are going down to the teahouse to talk some things over, we are going to tell everyone the decision and the new rules tomorrow after breakfast, my sister should be here by then. Remember to keep that secret under your hat for now. If Kitsune-san starts worrying too much though, just tell her you have a feeling everything will be fine."

Walking to the door, Keitaro waited for Haruka to catch up with him before opening it. "Have a good night, Narusegawa-san," he said as the two left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

_Author notes: I'm going to list the various titles and honorifics that are going to be used in this chapter at the beginning so I don't have to use explain them in the middle of conversations or leave them to the end of the chapter and have the readers going WTH while they are reading. *g* BTW, the general rule is that the younger members of the family will address the older or more senior members by honorific title (ex. Ba-chan), while the older members will address the younger member by name and honorific suffix (ex. Keitaro-kun)._

_Oto-san – father (formal)_

_Oka-san – mother (formal)_

_Onii-san – older brother (formal)_

_To-san – dad (informal)_

_Ka-san – mom (informal)_

_Nii-san/Nii-chan – big brother/big bro (informal)_

_Ba-san/Ba-chan – grandma/granny (informal)_

* * *

><p>Keitaro was sitting at one of the back tables in the teahouse, tapping his pencil against the tabletop as he looked over the notes he had before him. The notes from the clipboard that he had carried throughout the full house inspection now ran an even dozen pages, not including the two pages of notes he had taken from the tenant room inspections.<p>

Like he had previously told Naru, he had pretty much decided to leave the dorm open at the Hinata-sou. The problem now were the rules that were going to be put in place to keep the chaos to a minimum. Keitaro had not been kidding about rules regarding certain tenants; almost every tenant had a new rule that was a result of their actions. Keitaro had listed the new rules on a new sheet of paper, and he knew that it would go over with the tenants like a lead balloon. About the only person who's hands were clean in this entire mess was Shinobu, and one of the rules still affected her.

"Thinking deep thoughts, Kei-kun?" Keitaro looked up at the sound of his aunt's voice to see her standing beside his table, wearing her teahouse apron and a semi-amused smile on her face.

"More like working the kinks out of the plans I've come up with." Keitaro gestured to the chair opposite him and Haruka sat down. "I have the new rules I want to implement, I'm just thinking of how to present them without getting the tenants riled up. I can just force it through and they won't be able to say anything about it, but I want them to work with me and not go off again." Keitaro pushed a single sheet of paper over to Haruka, who started reading it.

After a minute, Haruka started chuckling to herself. "Yeah, I can see Motoko going off about this, and Kitsune won't be happy either. You sure you want to go through with this, Kei-kun?"

"Have to, it isn't fair what they are doing to Shinobu, and I have personal safety in mind for the rest of it. Kitsune can't just go through life scamming people, and with the costs of operating the Sou, I can't just let the rent arrears go. Than reminds me, how many people do you have working here?"

Haruka looked thoughtful for a moment. "Three part-timers. Yoko in the evenings, Karin and Jun in the mornings. I can't really afford to pay very much, so they don't make a living doing this. Yoko is retired and the other two are going to school and work here to make some extra money. Why're you asking?"

"Kitsune needs to do extra work to start paying off those arrears, and if she doesn't have a good paying job now, I kinda doubt that she is going to bust her butt to find one to start paying. If I give her a choice of paying cash up front for the arrears or working for either me or you to make the cash, she would very probably rather work for us. It would be a lot harder for her to get much past you, and who knows, she might just like working here." Keitaro smiled thinly.

"And why can't she work for you doing cleanup at the Sou?" Haruka asked, planting an elbow on the table and resting her face on her hand.

"Because either I will be too busy doing things to keep an eye on her, or it's going to be Kanako keeping an eye on her. You can imagine how well that will work out." Keitaro tilted his head to the side.

Haruka gave a shudder. "Oh yeah, not good at all. Look, I can only afford part-timers here, so it would be four hours a day, maxing out at twenty hours a week. I can pay fifteen hundred yen an hour (US$15.00). And this is if I pay cash under the table."

Keitaro did the math in his head. "That works out to four weeks work if she gives all her pay toward the arrears, eight weeks if she gives half. That sounds doable. You're going to use her to bus tables and do general cleanup, right?"

"Yeah, I'll let her get used to how I do things around here. If she keeps at it, and I see that she's a good worker, I can train her in brewing and in working the register, but that's if I'm going to really hire her on."

"Sounds good. Which brings us to the next worry, Aoyama. How am I going to get her to go for her rule?" Keitaro spread his hands in front of him.

"Well… you can always pull the samurai guest rule on her." It took a few moments for Keitaro to understand what Haruka was referring to, but then he got it.

"Ok, that might work, but it only makes the problem slightly smaller, it doesn't get rid of it."

"Tell her it can't be in plain view, and she can't carry the real deal. That plus the rule you came up with for Naru should keep the problem manageable," Haruka replied.

Keitaro considered that for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "As long as I can see her coming, I can handle her. If she manages to sneak up on me without me noticing, it won't matter what she has."

"Which brings up the most fun of the new rules. How are you going to tell Su that she can't play with her turtles in the house anymore?" Haruka grinned at Keitaro, who sighed and copied her earlier pose and braced his face with his arm on the table.

* * *

><p>"Only one more thing left to do, Kei-kun."<p>

Keitaro and Haruka had spent the last hour going over the plans for the dorm and the tenants residing within. Only part of the conversation had been about the new rules; repairs and remodeling had also been discussed as well. This was in between Haruka having to leave to go help out at the counter when it got busy.

Keitaro looked at his wristwatch; it was now close to 2:00 PM. The people he needed to call would very probably be at home, and if a certain person was not there, then they had her mobile number as well.

"Lend me your mobile, please?" Keitaro picked up the phone that slid across the table at him. Looking at the screen, he could see his family's home phone number was already on display.

"That's another thing I have to do, get a new mobile phone." Keitaro mumbled to himself. Keitaro had never really had much use for mobiles before he left the country, even though he had a plain vanilla flip phone for emergencies until he graduated high school. Now that he was back home, almost everyone and their dog seemed to be either talking on phones, playing games on phones, listening to music on phones or reading gods knows what on their phones. The fact that almost all of those involved had earphones plugged in did not lessen the impression that the electronics involved were connected directly to their brains. "iPod people indeed," Keitaro muttered as the distinctive *ring-ring* of the Japanese phone system began to sound in the earpiece.

"_Moshi-moshi," _a older male voice spoke into the phone at the other end of the call, giving the traditional Japanese phone greeting.

"Hello, oto-san, it's Keitaro, how are you?"

"_Kei-kun! I'm doing well, we haven't heard from you since you returned to Japan. Everything is going well in Osaka, I trust?"_

"Things could be going better, to-san, and I'm not in Osaka anymore. Granny Hina asked me to come to the Hinata-sou, and that's where I'm at now."

"_I see… I take it Hina-ka-san told you about her decision regarding the family."_

"You could say that. I got here a couple of days ago to find out that the Sou is now a girls' dorm, that she had left for a tour of the world's hot springs the day before, and that the tenants had not been told who their new dorm manager was. Oh, and I found out about becoming the heir and manager by a letter she left after the girls chased me all over the house thinking I was a peeper."

"_Heh heh heh… ouch. You weren't hurt, were you Kei-kun?"_

"No, but it was touch and go for a while. I think I'm getting things in order here, but I'm going to need some help to do so. Is Kana-chan there?"

"_She's in her room, I can call her if you like. What do you mean, need her help?"_

"I'm still going to study for the entrance exam for Todai, plus I need a female to help run this place, to-san. I was hoping she could come and become the assistant manager here. It will not be that much work if she and I split it up, so it should not interfere with her school work. She's still doing well in school, I trust?"

"_If you can call getting a 4.2 GPA in Honors classes and cutting a wide swath through the high school karate tournaments doing well, yes. Ever since you left, she started to dedicate herself to her studies, even more than you did, Kei-kun." _

Keitaro winced at that remark. The final two years of high school he had done nothing but study school and prep materials, stopping only to sleep, eat, and at the insistence of his parents and grandmother, practice his martial arts skills.

The martial arts were what kept him from cracking up like so many other overly dedicated college prep students did, but his dedication for studies bled over to the physical. Keitaro went from a mid _ryu_ rank to _sho-dan_ (first level black belt) in his formal martial arts training just before he graduated high school. Not to say that he wore a black belt before he left school. In his family technique training, on the occasions that members wore _gi_ the beginners wore white belts, and members who had defended others from deadly attack wore black belts. In Keitaro's memory only Great-Uncle Hiro and Granny Hina wore the red belt, and Granny wore one embroidered with the Urashima crest. He had received a red belt with the crest from Granny shortly before he had left Japan over a year ago, but he had never worn it, finally understanding what the symbolism of the belt meant.

"How is ka-san doing? Is she there?" Keitaro decided to change the subject after the turn his thoughts had taken.

"_She's out shopping, she won't be happy that she missed your call. Kei-kun, there's something I need to ask you. Are you sure that inviting Kanako-chan to the Hinata-sou is a good idea? She is not as bad as before you left, but that English phrase 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' definitely applies here."_

"That might be part of the problem, to-san. I left before I was able to deal with Kanako's feelings to me. Now that I'm back, I can try and convince her that we are not meant to be together like that."

"_So long as she does not wind up going yandere (1) on you, son. I'll go and call Kanako-chan over right now."_

"Gee, thanks to-san." Keitaro muttered to himself as he heard his father put the phone handset down . Twenty seconds passed before he could hear thundering footsteps through the phone and in a moment of insight yanked the mobile phone away from his ear before the deafening shout of _'Nii-chan!'_ blasted out of the speaker. Carefully he put the phone back to his ear to hear someone babbling at about 200 words a minute. After a few moments he heard her take a breath and was finally able to get a word in edgewise. "Kana-chan, I didn't understand a word of what you were saying. Please slow down."

"_Nii-chan, you're finally back in Tokyo! It's good to hear your voice again! When did you get here, and how long before you get home?"_

"It's good to hear you too, Kana-chan. I got to Tokyo a couple of days ago, and I'm not going home yet. I'm at the Hinata-sou, and wanted to ask you a favor."

"_Anything, nii-chan!"_ Keitaro could hear at least a couple of different meanings to those two words, but it was not something he could do anything about right now.

"I need to talk to you in person here at the Sou in order to explain it right, it's not something I can do over the phone. How soon can you get here?" Keitaro asked.

"_In an hour if I use my motorcycle. Thirty to forty-five minutes if I push it."_

"No need to push it, Kana-chan. I don't want you get hurt when there is no need." Keitaro was wondering how it was that Kanako had a motorcycle; she was barely of the legal age to have a driver's license. "One more thing, pack for an overnight stay, if everything works out, we can go back to the house and get more things if you agree to my idea."

"_Yatta! (2) I'll start packing right now! You're at the house right?"_

"I'm at Haruka's teahouse, meet me here. The three of us have to be involved in this talk."

"_OK, nii-chan! I'll see you in an hour!"_ There was a click as Kanako hung up the phone on her end.

Keitaro looked up at Haruka, who had been listening from across the table. She had a unlit cigarette in her mouth and was toying with her lighter. He could see that she wanted to say something, but was keeping quiet. "Go ahead, say it."

"This is going to be really really good or really really bad, Kei-kun." Haruka grinned crookedly at him around her cigarette.

"Yeah yeah." Keitaro stood up and stretched. "Go ahead and light up, I'm going outside for a walk. I'll be back in a few minutes." He walked toward the side door and therefore did not see Haruka look at the smoke she had taken out of her mouth for a moment before lighting it up.

* * *

><p>Keitaro was sitting on the back steps of the teahouse doing his dexterity exercises. For whatever reason, he was slightly more dexterous with his left hand even though he was right handed, although he was left eye dominant as well. So every once in a while he would practice pencil spinning with both hands, switching from one hand to the other. Haruka had done the same when she was younger, however she had done it with a balisong knife and had gotten very good at the trick methods of opening one. However, Keitaro did not want to look like some kind of delinquent loitering at the rear of the teahouse, therefore, the pencil spinning.<p>

Keitaro had been sitting there for almost an hour when he heard the hum of a motorcycle approaching. Standing up, he saw a black and grey Honda sport motorcycle with a helmeted rider wearing matching black and grey armored jacket, pants, gloves and boots. He wondered who the rider was; Kanako was due any time now, but this looked to be a pro level cycle racer, not a schoolgirl.

The rider stopped the bike nearby and kicked down the stand. Swinging off the bike, the rider stretched their arms out before reaching up to remove the full helmet and shaking their head. Keitaro's eyes widened as long black hair trailed down the rider's back before she turned and he was able to see her face. "Kana-chan?"

Kanako turned and saw that someone was looking at her. She was about to dismiss him as another perverted gawker, which was very common when she was wearing her tight fitting racing gear, when she focused on his face and recognized him. "Nii-chan…"

With a breathtaking slam that almost knocked him off his feet, Keitaro was abruptly being hugged tightly by his younger sister, her cheek rubbing against his as he could feel a purr vibrate through her. "Nii-chan, it's been so long…" Kanako whispered.

"Kana-chan…" Keitaro said breathlessly after a few moments. "I need to breathe…"

Reluctantly, Kanako loosened her grip on her older brother and pulled her head back so she could look at him face to face, although it was still a little more closer than most people would be comfortable with, as he could feel her breath on his face. Her eyes were wide as they roamed his features, as though she was making sure he matched her memories.

"Long time no see, little sister." Keitaro smiled fondly at her. "You're a lot more grown up than I remember."

Kanako blushed. To tell the truth, her big brother was the only one she was ever embarrassed around. She knew deep down in her heart that he would never hurt her, and even though he had left her behind when he left the country after graduation, she had been certain that he would return to her.

"I found that I had time on my hands, even though I was studying and practicing martial arts. So I had Haruka teach me how to ride cycles and I do that when I'm not preparing for tests and tournaments." Kanako was a borderline insomniac, needing only three to four hours of sleep a night. She could only study so much before she got twitchy, and it was not like she could practice the more vigorous aspects of her art at four in the morning. Racing cycles during the evening after school and practice calmed her down enough to study in the early hours at home.

"How could you afford all this though?" Keitaro gestured at the high performance Honda CBR sport bike behind her and the leather and Kevlar racing gear she was wearing.

"We were studying economics and the stock market in school and I found out I was rather good at predicting trends. Oto-san let me take some of my savings and I made a little money, I used that to invest some more, and I made some more money, and then the next thing I know I had a sizable return on my investments." Short-selling was such a useful method of making money in a down market, plus she invested the profits in precious metals, which she definitely did *not* short-sell. It was to the point that her investment adviser at the brokerage house she dealt with would invest his own money in her picks, as she had never failed to turn at least a twenty percent profit in her dealings.

"Good for you, Kana-chan. Planning on studying finance in school?" Keitaro was still smiling, but he took a small step back from her, as he did not want anyone who came upon them to get the wrong idea. However, Kanako did not release her arms from his sides, so they were still relatively close.

"Perhaps, although if I wanted to really go into the finance business I would have to go overseas, and I don't want to do that. I can still make money here while I do other things." Sexism was still the norm in Japanese business affairs, and Kanako did not want to be a glorified office lady serving tea while her male superiors took the credit for her work.

"Have you decided where you want to go to school, Kana-chan? I heard about your GPA, you're beating my old scores, you know." Keitaro had studied to earn top marks in high school, but concentrated mostly on the Todai entrance exam. Kanako had overachiever tendencies however, and wanted to be the best, period.

"Todai, of course. If it's good enough for you, I will follow behind you." Kanako had few interests beside racing and martial arts. Being a part of her nii-chan's life was certainly the top one.

"Well, you will certainly do better than I did when you take the exam." Keitaro kept smiling, but Kanako could see the look in his eyes change at that statement.

"I'm so sorry nii-chan, it's my fault that you did not pass the exam. If I had not been so weak, you would not have had to…" Kanako trailed off as Keitaro suddenly leaned into her, almost literally nose to nose.

"Never be sorry, Kanako. You were in a bad situation through no fault of your own, and I was able to save you from it. I defended my little sister, I will never be sorry to have done that. I can take the exam again, I can't replace you. Understand?" Keitaro's voice had gone flat, but Kanako was in no way frightened by him.

"Nii-chan…" Kanako tightened her arms around him and hugged him again, although this time she was careful not to cut off his air again. Keitaro did not resist, feeling the emotion pouring off her for what had happened in the past.

"Break it up you two, people are starting to talk." Keitaro and Kanako both turned to see Haruka standing a short distance away, a lit cigarette dangling from her mouth. "It's good to see you again, Kanako-chan."

Kanako stepped away from Keitaro and with a deft motion snagged the cigarette from Haruka's lips, dropped it, and ground it out with her boot. Before Haruka could complain, Kanako stepped up to her and gave her a brief hug. "It's good to see you too, Haruka-oba-san."

Haruka gave a slight growl at losing her smoke and being called an old lady again, but with the matching slight smiles on Keitaro's and Kanako's faces, she gave up and started to smile as well. "I get that crap from Kei-kun, I don't need it from you too."

"Yes, well, I only wanted to be polite." Kanako smiled for a bit longer before going back to her normal near-emotionless expression. "What is it that you and nii-chan want to talk to me about?"

"It's something that will take a while to explain, so grab your bag and come inside. You can change and after you have some tea Kei-kun and I tell you everything." Kanako nodded at that, and stepped back to her parked cycle. Undoing a duffle bag that had been strapped down to the fairing behind her seat she shouldered it and followed Haruka and Keitaro as they walked back into the teahouse.

* * *

><p><em>1 - Yandere - a person that is very gentle and loving to someone at first, then winds up obsessive and destructive, sometimes in violence. The violence can be directed to both the loved one or anyone perceived to be interfering in their relationship. Known in the US as Fatal Attraction syndrome.<em>

_2 - Yatta! - Japanese expression equivalent to 'I did it!' or 'hurray!'._


	11. Chapter 11

_Author Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. I got temporary additional duties two days in a row at work and was dog tired when I got home._

Ch 11

"I'll kill them all. Not Maehara, she sounds like a nice girl. The other ones are dead though. Is it OK if I make them scream first, nii-chan?"

The three Urashima were sitting at the back table of the teahouse again, this time with Keitaro and Haruka on one side, and Kanako on the other. Keitaro was leaning forward and rubbing the bridge of his nose while Haruka was fiddling with an unlit cigarette. Kanako was sitting up straight with her hands folded on the table in front of her wearing a long sleeved and long skirted black frilly dress. She certainly did not look like she was discussing the violent death of a group of people.

All things considered, Kanako was taking the story of Keitaro's arrival and stay at the Hinata-sou rather well. They had been expecting her to lose her temper and maybe to start to storm off to the Sou, but instead, she sat the table listening to the story without interrupting. The only sign of distress were her knuckles whitening as she clenched her fists, but now she looked calmer, even with her bloodthirsty request.

"Kana-chan… the reason I asked for your help is to help me run the Sou, not to run off or kill the tenants. I could have dealt with them alone or with Haru's help." Keitaro pushed his glasses back into place. "If something were to happen, yes I would want you to help me stop it, but I didn't call you here to do a sweeper mission."

"But nii-chan, just from your story I can tell they are nothing but a group of selfish bad-tempered harpies. If you want to leave the dorm open that's fine, but we can get other tenants to take their place." After Kanako ran a thorough background check and extensively interviewed them herself.

"Kana-chan, I decided to give them one more chance. With the new rules I'm putting into place, they are going to know what happens if they slip up. If that happens, the person involved is going to have to deal with the consequences. What I want you to do is to assist me so I can study for the Todai exam and eventually reopen this place as an Inn again. But in order to do that, I need people to help me that I can trust implicitly. Haru is one, and you are the other person I can trust to watch my back. With the two of you I know we can get this done. Will you help me?"

"Of course, nii-chan. You don't even have to ask." Kanako sat up straighter with that statement.

"Good, because you and I will have a more difficult road ahead than the tenants will. We are going to have to follow the dorm rules as well, and we are going to have to do so to a higher standard. That means we can't instigate or provoke them into violating the rules just so they can be evicted. Doing so would be a violation of trust, wouldn't you agree, Kana-chan?" Keitaro was looking intently at her.

"Yes, nii-chan." Kanako deflated slightly at that question.

"I can't have someone I can't trust to work with me at the Sou. That means if they did something that did not technically violate the rules but they knew would upset me if I were to find out about it, I would have to send them home. I don't need to be clearer than that, do I Kana-chan?"

Kanako was quiet for a moment. "Nii-chan, I can promise you I will protect you, and that I won't start anything. But if something were to happen to you, I also promise that I will finish it."

"Not permanently or fatally unless there is no other way to stop it. Agreed?" Keitaro kept his eyes on his sister.

"Agreed." Kanako was relieved to see her big brother smile at her.

"I'm glad we got that out of the way, Kana-chan. I know I can trust you, I just wanted it to be clear." Keitaro reached across the table and took her hands into his. "You are family, and we always defend family."

"And we always defend what is right." Kanako tightened her hands around his.

"And we always defend those who cannot defend themselves." Haruka reached across the table with her hands and clasped theirs.

"This oath is what makes the Urashima strong, from the time of samurai, through war and peace, to these times. So long as the Urashima stand together we shall overcome any obstacle, any enemy, any misfortune. The Urashima will defend until there is no need to defend anymore." Keitaro repeated the words he had heard Granny Hina proclaim at every major family event, at every family training session, and at the birth and death of every family member. Normally the clan head would do the proclamation, but now that he was the clan heir it was his duty as well, even though Haruka was senior to him.

Releasing each other's hands, Keitaro looked at his wristwatch and noted that it was now 4:30 PM. Dinner at the Sou was at 6:00 PM, so they still had an hour and a half to kill. "You going to be busy now, Haru-chan?"

Haruka looked over at the counter where Yoko and a long-haired teen boy were working, then at the customers scattered throughout the teahouse. "Not really, I asked Jun to work some extra hours to cover for me tonight. Why're you asking?"

"I wanted to go over the dorm rules, both the new and the old ones with Kana-chan. I want to make sure we are all on the same page before we present them to the tenants. You know, now that everyone is here we can do the presentation tonight instead of tomorrow and cut back on the stress." Keitaro looked between Haruka and Kanako.

"Fine with me, Kei-kun. The sooner we get past this the better," agreed Haruka. Kanako nodded her assent as well.

"Well, let's be about this then," Keitaro smiled at his two female relatives as they started going over the handwritten sheets.

* * *

><p>"Sempais, dinner is ready." Shinobu called out from the dining room doorway. As all the female tenants were sitting in the living room either reading a book (Naru), watching TV (Kitsune and Su) or meditating (guess who?), she did not have to go far to let everyone know, except for Keitaro.<p>

"Where is Manager-san? He knows it's time to eat, right?" Kitsune asked as she stood from the couch and slowly stretched, bringing about a display of her ample assets that would have caused any hetro male within visual range to nasally hemorrhage.

"Haruka called earlier, she said that he was on his way and to please set two extra places for herself and his sister who just arrived." Shinobu stepped back as the other tenants filed into the dining room.

"What do we know about this sister of the manager?" Motoko asked as she walked over to her customary side of the table so that she would be facing the windows that lined one side of the room. She stopped at her customary place, then moved one place down so that the setting at the head of the table had an empty setting on either side.

"Just that she is younger than he is and is still attending high school. Haruka-san mentioned once that she is really studious and takes after her brother." Kitsune replied as she sat down on the opposite side of the table next to Naru.

"Indeed," Motoko responded as she watched Su bounce into the room and plop down next to her. "Perhaps with her here it will help curb any lecherous tendencies he may have."

"My, my, Motoko-san, going off into one of those anti-male rants again?" Kitsune was looking at the unmarked clear bottle she had brought with her from the living room, visibly considering if the half-full bottle was enough to last her through dinner.

"You should know as well as I do that men are nothing more than beasts that barely have control of their baser instincts." While Motoko had problems with men almost as badly as Naru did, her 'annoy me at your own peril' vibe she constantly gave off, plus the fact that she usually walked around in public with a barely wrapped sword or bokken slung over her shoulder was enough to keep most men away from her. Those that did not take the hint would then be at the receiving end of a ki attack that had been known to crack boulders. It had only taken two of those for most men around the Sou and Hinata City itself to give the kendoist a wide berth.

"You know, except for the first day he really hasn't done anything wrong, and even that was explainable." Kitsune took a sip from her bottle before putting it down on the table in front of her.

"Are you going to be an apologist for males now, Konno-san? That isn't like you." Motoko watched as Naru stiffened slightly at the harsh words directed at her friend, who just half-smiled.

"More like I want to have actual proof that something has actually happened before I go all avenger on them. You don't have any of that, am I right, Motoko-san?" Kitsune smirked at the kendoist.

Motoko frowned. As much as she disliked admitting so, the fox girl had a point. The closest the manager had done something that might be considered improper was when he caught Shinobu from falling over the stepladder. While her temper had flared when the younger girl told her of the incident under her questioning that morning, even she would admit that grabbing someone by the shoulder was far better than letting them take a possible injurious fall.

Motoko merely gave a mumble that could have been agreement in response as she watched Shinobu bring out a tea kettle and start filling the cups that were before them. She wondered why the apron-wearing young tenant was doing so when she would normally be bringing out the food at this time when it occurred to her that she was stalling until the manager and his guests arrived. She kept her thought to herself but her companion alongside her had no reluctance about speaking her mind.

"Where's the food, Shinobu-chaaaan? I'm hungry." Su was fidgeting in her seat, as it was almost physically impossible her to sit still if she was not engrossed in something.

"Just a couple more minutes, Kaolla-chan." Shinobu was making her way around the table as she filled cups. Motoko was the only real tea drinker beside her in the group, as Naru was a coffee addict, Kitsune preferred beverages of an adult nature, and Su was kept away from anything that contained caffeine due to the not unreasonable fear of have to deal with an even more hyper mad genius.

"Sorry for the delay, there was a rush of customers I had to help with." Haruka's voice caused them all to turn toward the living room, as the manager and two females walked through the door. Keitaro was in the lead as he gave a smile and nod, Haruka was behind him as they split up and started toward the head of the table. The third person stood at the doorway, however. Shinobu noticed this and turned to face her.

"Good evening, Urashima-san, please join us in our meal," Shinobu bowed deeply and held it until the guest replied in a deeper yet feminine voice.

"Thank you, Maehara-san. It is good to see someone remembers their manners on how to greet a guest. You may call me Kanako-san." The young woman returned the bow and stepped forward into the dining room, either not noticing or not caring that the other tenants winced at her remark. Coming to a stop at the setting at Keitaro's left hand and opposite Haruka on the right side of the manager, she waited until Keitaro gestured to sit down, which she did next to the kendoist.

Motoko, having watched the guest move in the graceful and silent manner of a trained martial artist, had alarm bells start to go off in her head. This was not an auspicious sign of things to come.

* * *

><p>It would have been difficult to think that a dinner could be awkward after the first one that Keitaro shared with the tenants of the Hinata-sou. However, this one was coming close to matching it, Haruka reflected to herself.<p>

It was not because of a lack of conversation. Keitaro and Kanako had used the meal to catch up with each other's lives in the year that they had been apart. Granted, most of the subjects were of a fairly innocuous nature, like Kanako's schooling and her motorcycling. Keitaro's stories had been mostly about the various humorous situations he had found himself in while traveling, such as trying to explain to a decidedly humorless Thai customs inspector that the suitcase before him filled with sexy lingerie and high heeled shoes was not actually his, or shopping in a market square where all negotiations took place with only sign language.

Shinobu and Su smiled and giggled at most of the humorous stories. Kitsune smiled as well but otherwise keep quiet. Naru was almost glum as she sat there and drank her tea after finishing her meal, but it was Motoko who was bringing the heavy atmosphere about. Sitting straight and sipping her tea, it was almost like she was ignoring the Urashima sitting on the side of her, if it was not for the fact that Haruka could see that the kendoist was keeping watch on the youngest Urashima out of the corner of her eye.

For their part, the younger Urashima were enjoying each other's company regardless of the mood of certain of their guests. Keitaro did not exactly have a gloomy personality, but he had laughed and smiled more in this half hour than Haruka had seen since he had first arrived at the Hinata-sou.

The only thing that had put a damper on the conversation between the siblings was when Kanako had asked about what had happened at the end of Keitaro's trip that had required his early return to Japan. The happy look that had been on Keitaro's face had slipped off, and after a moment a sad half-smile replaced it. Nodding toward the younger residents of the Sou, Keitaro had only said that it was not something that should be heard by young ears and changed the subject.

It was at the end of the dinner that the surprise had been presented; Keitaro had asked the assembled tenants that since his sister had arrived early and all the tenants were there, if instead of doing the talk he had been planning to do tomorrow he could do it right after dinner. Everyone had agreed, with varying levels of lack of enthusiasm. This time however, when everyone stood to leave the table after the dinner, every tenant picked up their dishes, cups, and utensils and carried them to the kitchen sink, with only Su needing prompting from Motoko. This brought a surprised look to Haruka's face and a smile to Keitaro's.

Once everyone assembled in the living room, the tenants all sat on the various chairs and sofas while the Urashimas stood in front of them, with Keitaro front and center and Kanako and Haruka standing behind him slightly. Kanako was standing with her hands clasped together in front, her head tilted slightly to one side, her eyes moving from Motoko to Naru and back again. Haruka stood with her arms crossed and a unlit cigarette dangling from her lips.

"First off, I'm sure you will be all be happy to hear," Keitaro started off the presentation with a smile on his face, "that I decided to leave the Hinata-sou open as a student dorm, and with the current tenants." Relief showed on the face of every tenant, even Naru, who already knew this was coming. "Given what I have seen of all of you, I am sure that we can all get along and live in a safe and supportive manner here at the Sou." Here was where one of Kanako's eyebrows twitched, but no one noticed.

"However, as I told you all before, there are going to be some changes in the house rules, especially since I am going to be living in the Hinata-sou as well, so these changes are mostly so everyone's privacy and safety is maintained as much as possible.

"As you know, I was appointed manager of the Hinata-sou by the current owner of the Sou, Hina Urashima. She gave me full authority to enforce the rules of the dorm, which you all received a copy of when you first became tenants here. Those rules are still in effect, however due to the unusual circumstances I have come across since I first came here, some new rules will added to the dorm rules. I have gone through these rules with both my aunt Haruka," here the aforementioned relative took a half-hearted swipe at her nephew's head, which he dodged without even looking, "and my sister and now newly appointed assistant manager Kanako. They are familiar with these rules and agree fully with the necessity to have them put in place. A printed copy of the revised dorm rules, including the new ones going into effect immediate, will be given to each tenant and need to be returned within 24 hrs to either of the managers in order to continue residency at the Sou. In the case of the two minors, a faxed copy with your guardian's or parent's signature and hanko stamp as well the tenant's signature will be sufficient until they can deliver an actual copy before the end of the month.

"As assistant manager, Kanako speaks with my authority and my full confidence. If she tells you something, it is as though I am the one who told you. If you have a problem with what she has told you, you can come to me, but you better have a good reason for doing so, as coming to just complain to me about her is very unlikely to get me to change what decision she has made, plus it will probably really annoy Kanako as well." Here Kanako gave a smile that looked more like the baring of teeth by a predator. Most of the tenants gave a slight shiver at the sight.

"Violations of the dorm rules will result disciplinary measures being decided by, for lack of a better term, the executive committee of the Hinata-sou. This committee is made up of myself, Kanako, and Haruka. We have to agree that the rules were violated and also decide on the punishment, up to and including evictions. Minor violations and punishments will be decided by myself alone, however. You will be given a chance to speak in your defense, but it better be good."

Keitaro looked down at the sheath of papers he was holding. "The rent is still due on the first of the month in full. Rent payments will only be given to myself or Kanako, and a receipt will be given at that time. Rent is payable by cash, money order, or electronic draft into the Hinata-sou bank account by the due date. Extensions on the rent will rarely be given, and will be on the order of a day or two maximum. Either myself or Kanako have to be told why the rent hasn't been paid and when it will be. Being more than two days late on the rent will result in the eviction process beginning. Being constantly late in paying the rent can result in the tenant being asked to leave the Sou. You know when the rent is due, make arrangements so it can be paid on time. Oh, and Kitsune-san, we have to talk about your arrears after this meeting." Kitsune turned a little pale, but nodded anyway.

"Another new rule is that while the drinking of alcoholic beverages are allowed in moderation to those of legal age, tenants are not allowed to be visibly intoxicated outside of their room, and in their room is discouraged as well. Depending on the circumstances, being visibly drunk in the Sou can be a disciplinary offense, of which repeat offenses can be grounds for eviction." Kitsune turned even paler but kept quiet. "Overnight guests must be cleared by the managers, especially one of the opposite sex staying in one of your rooms. I'm going to tell you right now, we are probably not going to allow an opposite sex guest in your room if they are not blood related to you.

"The hot spring of the Sou had been only mixed gender bathing before, when it was a resort inn. As this is no longer the case, and due to the requests of some of the tenants, there will be female only hours set up for the spring for both the morning and evening. These hours are from 6 to 8 AM in the morning and from 4 to 6 PM in the afternoon. All other hours are mixed gender bathing, and bathing suits will be required during those times. You can decide if you want to wear a suit during the female only hours, since obviously I'm not going to be there." Here Motoko gave the eyebrow twitch. "The hot spring will be cleaned twice a week and a sign will be hung on the door announcing that fact. In any case, it is a good idea to call out when you enter the spring, both to announce yourself and to give me fair warning if for some reason I'm in there. I'm probably going to hang a warning bell on the door anyway.

"Next up, cooking and laundry. It has come to my attention that Shinobu-chan has been doing both, even though it is specified in her rental agreement that she only has cooking and kitchen duties. I noticed that everyone helped with the table cleanup this evening, and that is a good start. What I would like is for some of you to find it in the goodness of your hearts to help with the dishwashing as well, with everyone trading off days. This is something I have to think about, so keep it in mind.

"Shinobu has enough things to do with school and kitchen duties to be doing full loads of other peoples laundry, for free." Here everyone looked a little guilty, even Su. "Since I doubt that anyone here has the same high school and work load of Shinobu-chan, you are expected to do your own laundry. If you ask to throw an item or two in a load that Shinobu-chan is running already, that's fine. Having three loads of laundry being done before Shinobu-chan even starts on her own clothes is *not* acceptable." Here Keitaro looked over the tenants, who were all having trouble looking at him in the face. Even Shinobu was looking a little flushed. "Starting now, if you want Shinobu-chan to do your laundry, you are going to have to pay her a thousand yen per laundry load." The older tenants looked up at him with wide eyes and protests on their lips, Shinobu looking like she wanted to object as well. Holding up a finger to quiet the younger tenant, he continued regardless. "That's a bargain, especially if you consider what you would be charged if you took that many clothes to a dry cleaner/launderer." The protests visibly faded away before they were spoken. "And I highly suggest that if you do pay her to do your laundry, you wait for the weekend so she has time to do her homework and her kitchen duties during the week." Here the guilt slammed back full force.

"These last three rules are tenant specific, due to the special circumstances involved. I am not picking on you, I am giving you a chance to work things out. If you think you can't follow these rules, chances are you would not be able to live here at the Sou anyway."

Keitaro turned and focused his attention on Kaolla Su. "I don't know what the heck Granny Hina was thinking when she wrote up your rental agreement, but she gave permission for you to do your tech research as long as it did not endanger the other tenants or the Sou. What she should have put down is that it should not endanger you either." Su grinned unrepentantly at that. "Since your family is willing to pay for your lab equipment, insurance and damages, I have to allow it to go on. What I don't want to happen is for someone to be hurt or worse." Here Su's smile slipped. "So what I am going to do is mandate that you cannot do inherently dangerous research here at the Sou, especially in your room. That means if there is a chance it goes 'boom', you can't do it here." Su pouted at that. "What I can do is let you have one of the sheds outside for your bigger works, like your MechaTama." Keitaro had seen the giant mechanical turtle partially disassembled in Su's lab earlier that day. "And weapons on any of your projects will not be ready to be used unless you are on a outside testing range." Keitaro still had memories of MechaTama firing those rockets at him. Su gave a nod of agreement, looking slightly depressed at the new rules but happy she could still continue with her research.

Keitaro turned to look at both Naru and Motoko, who were looking at him tensely. Sighing, he continued. "This next new rules applies to everyone, but specifically to both of you. These are the rules governing fighting and the use of force in the Hinata-sou. And I am not talking about martial arts sparing here." Here Naru winced slightly, while Motoko's eyes narrowed. "Simply put, force is not to be used against another resident of the Sou unless there is no other reasonable way to stop what is happening. To use the example of what happened when I first came to the Sou, unless I were physically assaulting you or someone else, you are *not* allowed to attack me just because you are upset. If you have the opportunity to get away, do so and call for help. Force is a last resort, and the minimum is to be used to stop the attack. If someone were to grab you, for example, pushing them away is OK; punching them so hard you shatter their jaw is too much. If they keep coming at you or the initial assault is serious, you can use more force, like a punch or kick that will knock them away, or hurt them enough to get them to run off."

Focusing on Motoko, Keitaro kept speaking. "There are certainly levels of force that are too dangerous to be used unless the user or another person is in danger of being killed, being gravely physically injured, or being raped." Here all the tenants winced. "I'm sorry to say that mere groping does not fall under that exception under Japanese criminal law. Use of certain weapons or attacks in situations where it is not permissible is considered unlawful use of force and can be charged under criminal law as assault with a deadly weapon or even attempted murder."

"Where are you going with this, Manager-san?" Motoko's voice sounded like it had been cooled by liquid nitrogen.

"Where I am going with this is that possession and carrying of purpose-made weapons is to be restricted in the Hinata-sou. Weapons are to be declared to the manager of the dorm, properly secured on the tenant's person or in the tenant's room, and only visible when used for training purposes, when being transported in or out of the Sou, or being used in a self-defense situation."

"So you are trying to ban me from carrying my swords then?" There was an almost physically felt *thrum* of anger in the kendoist's voice as she stood, her right hand unconsciously moving toward the hilt of the sheathed sword she held in her left hand.

"You didn't listen very closely, did you, Motoko-san?" Haruka spoke up from beside Keitaro, where she had stepped once Motoko started to stand up. Her hands were loosely at her sides, and one of her feet were slightly in front of the other. "*Purpose-made* weapons are to be properly secured *on the tenant's person* or in the tenant's room, and only *visible* in certain situations. Think about that for a minute."

Motoko stopped, her hand close to her sword hilt, as she considered what Haruka had said, especially had she had emphasized. After a few moments she looked to Keitaro, who had shifted to the balls of his feet as well when Motoko stood. "My swords are purpose-made, obviously, what about my bokken?"

The corner of Keitaro's mouth twitched upwards. "In your hands, they would be considered deadly weapons, but we could bend that rule a little. I would rather not have people *visibly*carrying weapons, so having a training tool stashed here and there around the Sou would not really be a big deal, if you are worried about a rampaging horde attacking the Sou."

Her hand slipping back to her side, Motoko was visibly considering her options. After a long moment, Kanako finally spoke up from her ready stance beside Keitaro as well. "Aoyama, when a samurai was a guest at another samurai's house, what is the first thing he did at the door?"

"The visiting samurai would give his katana over for safekeeping…" Motoko ceased speaking and winced. She then continued in a more subdued voice, "…and keep his wakizashi or tanto for personal defense."

"Do you feel you need to keep your katana with out at all times to defend yourself, Motoko-san?" Haruka asked.

"No, but it is force of habit, ever since I first moved to Tokyo." The hand holding the sheathed sword swung back close to her side. "I almost always carry my katana or my bokken."

"And at home in Kyoto? Did you always carry your sword there?" Haruka continued her questioning.

"No, training weapons were always kept in the dojo…" Motoko winced again before continuing, "…and I did not receive _Shisui_ from my sister until just before her wedding, when I was made clan heir. I left shortly thereafter."

No one spoke for a long moment after that. Motoko was lost in past memories. The Urashimas looked at one another then at the other tenants, who had sat very still at the start of the possible blow-up, but now relaxed slightly.

Keitaro took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Seeing that the kendoist was still thinking to herself, he decided to cut his losses for the night. "OK, that about covers all the new rules for now. Since we are all a little tired, we'll call it a night. Kitsune-san, do you want to talk about your arrears tonight or tomorrow?"

The fox girl gave a start. Smiling weakly, she said, "Tonight, Manager-san. Might as well get it over with."

Keitaro nodded. "Very well, come with me, Kana-chan and Haru-chan to my room, this won't take too long. Everyone else, have a good night, we'll talk to you tomorrow." Turning, the Urashimas and Kitsune filed out toward his room, while Shinobu and Su left for the kitchen, leaving a thoughtful Motoko and a worried looking Naru in the living room.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author Note: Sorry for the relatively short chapter; I guess they can't all be magnum opus. *g* _

_v__2.0_

Ch 12

He had angered a god somewhere and it was now pounding on his head. That was the only explanation for this.

Keitaro was not an early riser, but once he woke up he normally had no problems staying that way, plus the quality of the sleep he got was enough that he usually felt well enough when he woke up. But now his head felt like it was being used as a taiko drum in a street festival, and his mouth felt as dry as a desert.

"Gods above and below…" Even his voice sounded horrible, coming out in a rasping croak that was barely intelligible. Keitaro tried to sit up, but had difficulty doing so; there seemed to be a weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw that there was long black hair spread out beneath his chin, and his heart almost stopped.

The girl on his chest mumbled something and tightened her grip on him. Her face was turned towards his, but her hair kept him from recognizing her. Keitaro could see that past her hair the girl appeared to be wearing a grey t-shirt… and by craning his head to see bare legs… nothing else.

_'Why do these things happen to me?'_ Keitaro mentally asked himself. For some reason he was always falling onto girls or some other clichéd crap, as though he was some kind of amusement to the gods.

"Hmm… nii-chan… you feel so good… so warm." The voice got stronger, and more recognizable.

_'Gods… Kana-chan,'_ Keitaro moaned silently. After his rescue of his adopted sister a couple of years ago, she had gotten rather clingy with him. It was not uncommon for him to wake up and find her on the same futon with him. It got rather awkward when he would abruptly wake up in the middle of the night to find her nude and trying to strip his shorts off. She had calmed down some by the time he had left the country, but had still occasionally snuck into his bed, scaring the hell out of him.

_'At least she's kinda dressed,'_ He thought to himself. '_And I'm dressed, right?' _Moving his hand toward his hip, he patted it and was relieved to feel his boxer shorts, and after moving his hand upwards, a t-shirt.

The movement of his arm shifted the person on top of him, and Kanako started to awaken. Smacking her lips a couple times, she gave a yawn that looked more than a little like the ones cats would do, before opening her eyes and tilting her head upwards to look at him in the face. Her dark brown eyes locked onto his own with a steady gaze, and there was no nervousness or anxiety in her expression.

"Good morning, Kana-chan," Keitaro said quietly. His voice no longer sounded like a gravel truck backing up, but it was still rather raspy.

"Good morning, nii-chan," She smiled softly before her face starting moving toward his, her intention obvious.

"Kana-chan, no one who calls me nii-chan is allowed to kiss me," Keitaro warned her. Even though they were not of the same blood, there was more than a little reluctance on his part to get involved with her like that.

"Good morning, Kei-kun," she said without missing a beat. If anything, Kanako's voice got even more sultry. Smiling slightly, her lips moved past his to press up against his cheek. Rubbing her face against his for a moment, she pulled away and locked eyes with him again. "How do you feel, nii-chan?"

"Like someone dragged me through a mile of drainage ditch." The shock of finding Kanako in his bed had cleared his head slightly, but he was feeling achy all over. "What the hell happened last night?"

"You talked to Konno-san about her rent arrears, and gave her the choice of paying them off immediately, or working for either you or Haruka. Once she found out I would be supervising her for you, she chose the teahouse." It had been rather amusing to see the fox girl's eyes go wide when she was informed that she would be under Kanako. She quickly took Haruka's offer instead. "You then bought a bottle of sake from her, and while you were drinking it, you told Haruka and I what happened in Thailand." Kanako did not know what was worse, to hear the horrors he had witnessed, or to see her brother in tears while telling the story. "I'm sorry that all happened, nii-chan, and that you had to re-live it by telling us about it."

"What's in the past should stay there, Kana-chan. I don't want to keep repeating it, obviously, but you guys needed to know."

"Nii-chan…" Kanako lowered her head, pressing her ear against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

"Um… Kana-chan, why are you on my futon?" Keitaro sweat dropped as Kanako got comfortable on his chest with no apparent intention to leave anytime soon.

"There isn't another room for me to use, so I decided to stay here. Haruka got me a futon and everything." Kanako tilted her head to the side, and Keitaro could see that there was a futon beside his, only it looked barely slept in.

"I think she got that futon for you with the intention that you sleep on it and not on mine, Kana-chan."

"Well, I did tell her that she should not trouble herself, but she insisted. When we put you to bed, I tried to sleep but I could not. Then I got onto your futon and I fell asleep right away. My insomnia never bothers me when I'm with you." Kanako nuzzled against his chest.

"And what would have happened if you had not fallen sleep?" Keitaro knew better but he had to ask.

"I think I would have found something to do that would have tired me out enough to sleep." Kanako looked up at him and smirked.

"Uh… what time is it?" Keitaro was desperate to change the subject and looked at his wrist, but his watch was not on it.

With a slight moan, Kanako raised her head off his chest and looked over at the alarm clock. "8:17 AM."

"Breakfast is at 8:00 AM on the weekends. They must have started without us. If we hurry we can catch the tail end of it." Keitaro gently pushed on Kanako and she reluctantly rolled off him and sat up. Keitaro tried to sit up, but his head started spinning; he groaned and let himself fall back onto the futon. "On second thought, I can wait until the world stops moving. You go to breakfast, I'll go to the hot spring in a bit and clear my head there."

"I am not going to leave you in the hot spring by yourself with you this weak. You get ready for the spring, I will go tell Shinobu-chan to leave some food set aside for us and we'll eat after we are done in the spring." With a graceful roll, Kanako got to her feet and turned back to him.

"Kana-chan, where did you get that shirt?" His sister was wearing a long heather grey t-shirt with dark orange diagonal printing across the front, proclaiming in English 'Overkill Never Fails'. The shirt came to just below the top of her bare thighs.

"Well, I forgot to pack pajamas in my bag," Kanako did not look very upset with that, "so when I was getting ready to go to sleep with you," Keitaro blushed slightly, "Haruka insisted I wear more than just panties." The blush got darker. "We looked in your dresser and I got this shirt. You don't mind, do you?"

Keitaro smiled. "No. Actually, I was going to give you that shirt, it reminded me of you and your fighting style."

With a happy cry, Kanako dropped to her knees, and before he could do anything, she bent over him and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. Getting back on her feet, she turned and started moving toward the door.

"Kana-chan… you should at least wear shorts with that shirt." Keitaro was still reeling from the kiss, but he knew that a couple of the tenants would not react well to Kanako running around wearing only a t-shirt.

"OK, nii-chan…" Kanako stepped over to her duffle bag laying on the floor next to the dresser. Bending over at the waist, she started digging through it, causing her t-shirt to ride up and show the lacy black panties she was wearing. Keitaro managed not to choke, and after a few moments, Kanako pulled out a pair of green cargo shorts. Without hesitation she stepped into them and pulled them up her legs before buttoning them. Letting the t-shirt drop over them, the shorts were barely visible.

"I'll be back in five minutes, nii-chan, don't strain yourself." Kanako stepped through the door, leaving Keitaro laying on his futon wondering again what god he offended.

* * *

><p>"So, is that a tanto in your gi or are you happy to see me, Aoyama-san?"<p>

Motoko stiffened at the voice. She was used to being the quietest person to move around the Sou, but apparently that position had now been usurped. And by a person younger than her to boot.

The feelings of dread she had started feeling at last night's dinner had only intensified during the residents' meeting the new manager had held last night. While the manager did most of the talking, his newly appointed assistant was at his side, looking at everyone with the eyes of a hawk… or given her newly demonstrated stealth skills and coloring, a jungle cat. And at the end of the meeting, when Motoko had stood and started reaching for her sword, Kanako was the one of the three Urashima that she had felt the most hostile intent from.

Kanako stepped out of the intersecting hallway and around the front of the kendoist who had just left the kitchen, now standing still, her face forward but her eyes tracking her movements. The younger girl came to a stop in front of her, head tilted to the side as she looked her up and down before locking her gaze with Motoko, her shorts and t-shirt contrasting with the gi and _hakama_ that the kendoist wore most of the time.

"You didn't answer my question, Aoyama-san… is that a weapon you have concealed there in your gi? Because if it is, you did a very poor job of hiding it." There was a diagonal oblong bulge in the front of Motoko's top near the beltline of the _hakama_, extending the white material out half an inch or so, right next to where the material overlapped in the front. "If you think you can carry a weapon concealed the same way you would openly, you are mistaken."

Kanako stepped up within touch range of the kendoist, almost close enough to feel her breathing. "And it will do you little good if someone with ill intentions can get *this* close to you." Motoko was almost half a head taller than the younger girl, but now it was though the youngest Urashima was standing over her, holding her in place, rather than standing off slightly to the side and leaning forward to speak softly in her ear.

With a slight tug, a knife appeared in Kanako's hand as she pulled it out of the front of Motoko's gi. She had not realized the Urashima's hand had slipped into the closed garment, so distracted she had been by her nearness.

Kanako took half a step back, lifting the blade up to examine it. The gleaming blade looked to be about 20 cm (8 inches) long, with a distinct _hamon_ line. The _tsuba_ (rounded handguard) was decorated with a delicate gold etching and while very attractive had been the reason the blade had printed against the gi and gave it's presence away. The handle of the tanto was wrapped in black sharkskin, with braided dark blue silk forming a non-slip surface above it.

"What are you doing with this? This is almost too good to carry, it should be on display." Kanako looked from the tanto to Motoko, who was looking both angry and mortified that she had been so easily disarmed.

"It is the only blade I can easily carry under my gi, everything else is too big." And it was not for a lack of trying; Motoko had spent almost half an hour this morning trying conceal a wakizashi under her gi before she gave up, it had showed through the fabric even worse than the tanto did.

"The reason you can't conceal it is because of the _tsuba_, it pushes the handle away from your body and against your clothes. What you need to carry is something without one, like a _kaiken_."

Motoko could not keep her upper lip from curling up slightly. A _kaiken_ was a samurai era knife designed to be carried hidden in a woman's _obi_ (kimono sash). Small and flat, it's typical length of 15 to 20 cm made it perfect for concealed carry. It was one of the items now carried by the bride in a traditional Japanese wedding. Motoko had seen one when her sister was getting ready to get married to… that male.

Feeling a poke on her sternum, Motoko looked down to see that Kanako had reversed the knife in her hand and had tapped her chest with the handle. "I am going to give you a pass this time, Aoyama-san, but do try harder to make sure your weapons can not be seen. Otherwise I might be tempted to keep whatever I get away from you."

Motoko was reaching up to take hold of the tanto when Kanako stepped up *close* to her, trapping the blade and her hand between the two of them, her face tilted up and her breath puffing up against her. "You know, when I heard about you people from nii-chan and Haru-san, I thought that it would be Narusegawa or Konno that would be giving us the most trouble. I now know that's not who I have to look out for."

Motoko tried to move back or pull her hand and tanto free, but she could not move. The dark brown eyes before her were the coldest she had ever seen, freezing her in place.

"I will tell you this, Aoyama. I love Keitaro more than life itself, and if you ever try to hurt him, you will never see me coming." Stepping back, Kanako smiled at her, but her eyes stayed ice cold. "Have a good morning, Aoyama-san." Turning, she continued down to the kitchen, leaving the kendoist standing still in a cold sweat.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for coming this afternoon, Naru-san. You don't mind if I call you that, right?"<p>

Naru shook her head. Dressed in sweats as she had been instructed, she was standing on the rear lawn of the Sou, facing Keitaro and Kanako, who were dressed in shorts and t-shirts.

"Starting today, we are going to start you in some basic exercises in Tai Chi. This will benefit you in helping to control both your temper and overall all stress in life." Keitaro was standing at ease in front of Naru while he spoke, while Kanako stood to his left, also relaxed, but still keeping her eyes moving scanning the area around them.

"Right now we are going to start with the breathing exercises, as that will benefit you a great deal with your temper. First off, I need to tell you have been breathing wrong for most of your life." Naru looked in askance at Keitaro, who gave a short laugh. "What I mean is you breathe with your chest and lungs rather than with your diaphragm. So we are going to stand here teaching you how to breathe correctly, then do some stretches, then walk you through a basic kata. We are not expecting you to learn this quickly, as most physical habits engrained in people take a while to unlearn, but hey, the journey of a thousand miles start with a single step." Keitaro smiled at Naru, who cautiously smiled back. "You are going to watch me do everything I am showing you, and Kanako will be next to you to do any corrections that are needed, OK?" Naru nodded.

"First, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands at your sides, head and back straight." Naru assumed the instructed position, with Kanako standing close by her side facing her.

"Slowly take a breath through your nose, not so loud that it can be heard by others. Fill your lungs completely, but not straining them, and hold it for four seconds, then slowly let the breath out through your mouth. Go ahead and do it now." Naru started to breathe, and with some adjustments was doing it the way that Keitaro wanted. After about ten minutes, Naru was calmer than Keitaro had ever seen her.

While Keitaro and Naru were doing this, Kanako was able to keep an eye on her surroundings. This was why when Keitaro was starting Naru on the stretching exercises, she was able to see the figure standing at a window watching them. At the distance they were at, she could not see the face clearly, but she could see that they were wearing a white top and had long black hair. Kanako stared at the window for a few moments before the figure stepped away. She continued helping her brother, her eyes returning to the windows every few minutes, but the figure never returned.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13

V 2.5

"Left… left… no, your other left, Su-san… OK, now bring it over to the side…" Keitaro was gesturing like a aircraft ground handler at Haneda Airport, directing Su as she maneuvered MechaTama.

If someone had told Keitaro a few weeks ago that a fourteen year old girl had the intelligence and capability to built an advanced turtle robot with weapon and hover capabilities, he would have thought they were out of their mind. Even now, watching Su on the back of MechaTama as it stepped it way down the stairs was a little hard to believe.

Backing his way down the hall, Keitaro was able to steer the turtle around various corners and doorways until they got to the back door of the Sou. Once she was clear, Su gave a war cry as she hit the controls rapidly. Turbofans folded out from under the oversized turtle and with a loud roar MechaTama soared out into the back yard, Su cheering as it flew along, hovering about a meter off the ground.

"That is one scary little girl," Keitaro remarked to his aunt, who was standing beside him with an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth.

"At least she isn't using you as a test dummy for her energy weapon prototypes." Haruka pulled out a lighter, and after looking over at Keitaro and seeing him give a slight nod, lit her cigarette. Taking a deep pull, she held it for a long moment before exhaling, careful to direct it away from her nephew.

"Yeah, I don't think Kana-chan would react well to that." Images of Kanako chasing after a laughing Su while waving a bokken overhead came to mind. "Speaking of which, where is she? School was out a while ago."

"She told me she had to go home after school, but that it would only take a couple hours or so. She should be on her way here now. Is her surprise ready?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, cleaned it up and had it ready a couple hours ago." Keitaro watched as Su brought MechaTama back to the ground and shifted it to land mode. "I don't think she will be very happy to see it though."

"Ya think? How long do you think it will take before you find her on your futon again?" Haruka smirked at Keitaro.

"Knowing her? Tomorrow morning. Proprieties have to be observed though. She needs to have a room of her own." Su walked MechaTama over to an older shed in the back yard, the door open and barely wide enough to let the robot turtle enter.

"Good luck with that." The two Urashima watched as Su bounced her way out of the shed, closed the door, then attached some kind of electronic lock to the handle. Curious as to what she was doing, Keitaro walked over to the shed, Haruka following behind him.

"Su-san, what is that on the door?" The lock looked like an oversized padlock, only it was about twice the size of a regular one, and had a number pad on the front as well as a number display and the ubiquitous three eye symbol of her homeland.

"Hi, Manager-san! This is my super security padlock, so that no one can go in and mess with MechaTama! He tends to get a little touchy about who works on him." Su started to rapidly enter number combinations on the keypad, resulting in the lock giving a loud beep and a red light flashing for a moment before turning green and flashing every five seconds. "This will give a loud alarm tone here and in my room if someone tries to open it. If someone tries to force it open, it will sound the alarm and give them a shock."

"How much of a shock, Su-san?" Keitaro peered at the lock, which was now just blinking innocuously.

"One point twenty-one gigawatts." Keitaro's head snapped over toward Su, who was smiling innocently. "I'm kidding, Manager-san, it's not like being hit like a bolt of lightning. I did some research on police stun guns and used it in making the lock. It's powered by the same type of battery as a high powered flashlight, so it might knock you out, but it won't really hurt you."

"You might want to put a warning to that effect on the door, Su-san." Keitaro took a long step back from the lock.

"I can do that now! I'll go print something from my computer and post it on the door. I'll be back in a few minutes!" Su started to run off.

"Su, make sure it's in Japanese and English!" Keitaro called out after her, remembering that the warning poster on her room door was printed in her native language.

Su came to a halt for a moment, then continued onwards but not as enthusiastically. "Okaaayyyyy…" she called back as she walked back toward the house. "Manager-san is taking the fun out of this…" the Urashima could hear her say in a lower voice that still carried to them.

"Really scary…" Keitaro was shaking his head when he heard the hum of Kanako's motorcycle coming up the access road at the rear of the house. Walking over to the back door, Keitaro and Haruka arrived to see Kanako switch off the engine of the cycle. Carefully swinging her leg over the two duffle bags strapped to the rear fairing, Kanako stepped away and pulled her helmet off, shaking loose her long black hair. Seeing her brother and aunt standing there, she smiled at them. "Ohayo (1) nii-chan, Haru-san. How has your day been?"

Keitaro smiled back at his sister. "Not too bad, managed to get MechaTama out to the shed without anything blowing up."

"I still can't believe that you are letting her continue with that robot monster, nii-chan," Kanako now shook her head in disbelief as she unzipped her black and red leather jacket, and left it hanging open.

"Blame Granny. It's part of Su-san's rental agreement. Su can do her mechanical and robotics research as long as the proper safety precautions are taken." Keitaro gestured toward the shed behind him. "At least we got her to move it outside."

"Hm." Kanako made a non-committal noise as she started to unstrap the bags from her bike. "Nii-chan, could you help me carry this into the house?"

"Sure." Picking up the full-sized military duffle bag, he turned and started walking toward the door, leaving Kanako to hang her helmet on the hook on the rear of the bike, grab a smaller shoulder duffle bag, and hurry to follow him.

Pausing to kick off her motorcycle boots at the doorway, Kanako was able to finally catch up with her brother as he stopped at a door. "Nii-chan, this isn't your room."

"I know." Keitaro pulled out a key ring and opened the door. Stepping in, he gestured for her to enter, and she did. Setting down the duffle beside the door, Keitaro gave a 'wait a minute' sign to Haruka, who nodded and closed the door so that she was out in the hall and Keitaro and Kanako were in the room.

"Who's room is this, nii-chan?" Kanako looked around at the bare bones room. Except for a futon, a low table, a dresser, a desk and a chair, the room was empty.

"Yours, as long as you stay here at the Sou."

Dropping her bag, Kanako turned and faced Keitaro, her eyes wide open. "Nii-chan! I wanted to stay in your room!" _And on your futon,_ the words unspoken but still present.

Keitaro sighed; he knew this talk was coming, but it did not mean he was looking forward to it. "Kana-chan, that would not be appropriate, and you know it. As brother and sister, we can't live in the same room, you need a room of your own."

"But I want to be with you!" Kanako's eyes started to fill with tears. "These feelings I have for you are not those of a sister, and we are not of the same blood anyway!" Stepping slowly, she walked toward Keitaro, who stood in place. "I missed you so much when you left, and last night was the best sleep I could remember in a long time. And now you want to separate us again?"

"Kanako, I'm next door to you," Keitaro tried not to flinch as Kanako stopped right in front of him, close enough to feel her breath on his face.

"Next door is not close enough, Kei-kun." Moving slowly again, Kanako hugged Keitaro, rubbing the side of her face to his and pressing her body, clad in a t-shirt and tight jeans, against his.

"I know you don't want us to be lovers, but please don't make us stay apart. This last year has been the worst in my life, because I could remember being with you, and then you left me alone. It made me ache so much, Keitaro…" Kanako sniffled with her face next to his neck.

Keitaro cursed himself. He had thought that with the tapering off of Kanako's attempts to bed him that her feelings for him had been reduced as well. Apparently that was not the case. That left only one thing to do.

Reaching into his pants pocket, Keitaro pulled out a key ring. Waiting until Kanako's sniffles had decreased, he then stepped back slightly. Seeing her eyes come up to meet his, he started speaking. "As long as you are the assistant manager, this will be your room, where you will keep all your clothes and things. As a part of your job, I'm giving you these keys, they will open any door here at the Sou. These include a master key to all the resident rooms, which you should only use in the course of your duties, or there is something wrong." He pressed the key ring into her hand. "If you are feeling bad, or your insomnia is really bothering you, you can come see me."

Kanako's eyes widened again. "You mean…"

"I mean if you are feeling bad. This does not mean every night, it does not mean you taking advantage when you should not. And it does not mean it should be done where the other residents can see it. This is a trial period, we'll see how well it works out, yes?"

Kanako did not answer verbally. Instead, she leaned up against him and hugged him tightly. After about a minute of standing there in her grip, Keitaro started to move away from her, and she reluctantly released him.

Looking at his wristwatch, Keitaro said, "It's 5:30 now, that gives you enough time to wash up before dinner. I got to go wash up myself, so I'll see you at dinner, Kana-chan." He smiled at her, and she gave him a half-hearted smile in return as he walked out of her room into the hallway.

Seeing Haruka standing in the hall, leaning against the doorframe to Kanako's room, he jerked his head toward his room, and she silently followed him as he unlocked the door and entered.

"How did it go, Kei-kun?" Haruka leaned up against the wall again as Keitaro pulled off his t-shirt as he walked into the small bathroom. The water came on for a few moments, then he walked out again, his face and hair damp.

"She didn't take it all that well," Keitaro walked over to his dresser and took a clean t-shirt out from a drawer. This one was olive green and had a silhouette of a sniper and the words 'Truth At 2799 FPS' printed on it. Pulling it on, Keitaro ran his hand through his hair finger-combing it. "She understands that we can't get romantically involved, but she still wants to be as close as possible."

"How close?" Haruka watched as her nephew's head drooped.

"Pretty close. As long as she doesn't overdo it, we'll see how it goes." Keitaro looked up at Haruka, who had a concerned look on her face. "I guess I never really understood how strong her feelings were for me."

"Well, as long as you don't end up on a yacht, you should be OK, right?" Haruka was being factious, but Keitaro took her semi-seriously.

"OK, I'll make a note of that. If Kanako-chan asks me to go on a boating trip, run." Keitaro shook his head. "Time for dinner, let's go, aunt of mine." Grimacing slightly, Haruka followed Keitaro into the hall.

* * *

><p>"Coming…" Keitaro called out as he walked toward the front door. He already knew who was at the door, or at least why they were there.<p>

Last night after dinner, Kaolla Su had received a phone call, which given the reactions by the other residents was unusual. After chattering for a few minutes in her native language, she called Keitaro over to the phone and passed it over to him. On the other end was a polite gentleman who introduced himself as Mr. Patel, a representative of the MolMol embassy and the person in charge of checking up on Su. He let Keitaro know that a family member of Kaolla's would like to speak with him in person at the Sou as soon as could be convenient, and tomorrow if possible. More than a little curious, Keitaro agreed and set the time for the visit at 10 the next morning. Mr. Patel also asked that Kaolla stay home from school, as the family member wanted to speak with her as well. Keitaro agreed to that as well, mentally making a note to ask Shinobu to bring Su's missed class work from school.

That next morning, Keitaro had been sitting in the living room going over one of his old prep school study guides when he heard a vehicle engine coming up the access road to the Sou. Correction, engines; it sound like at least one heavy truck and a couple of smaller vehicles.

Keitaro had barely stood up to walk to the door when the door bell rang. Giving himself the once-over, he made sure his dress shirt and slacks were presentable before he opened the front door, revealing a tall blonde woman in a black business suit wearing black shades and what looked to be a radio earpiece. "Are you Keitaro Urashima?" she asked in English.

"I'm Keitaro," he answered in kind, looking up at the woman, who was at least a half head taller than he was.

"Good, I was afraid I would have to use my Japanese, which is not that good. I am Rebecca, Lady Su's assistant. She will be with you in a moment." The assistant raised her left hand to her mouth and started talking into what Keitaro presumed was a radio mike. Looking behind her, he could see a blacked out SUV with what looked to be four more bodyguards coming out of it, all of them female, all of them bigger than him. Behind the SUV was a stretch limo, and behind that was a large passenger van with what looked to be a half dozen workers and a large moving van.

The bodyguards presumably heard what Rebecca said into her radio, as they quickly moved over to the limo and formed up around the passenger door. One of the guards opened the door, and a tall and thin darker-skinned male in a black business suit stepped out. Stopping once he was out of the limo, he reached into the limo and helped another person out, a female, and decidedly not dressed like the others were.

This lady (and she was obviously the Lady Su Rebecca had been speaking of) was maybe around his height and age. With long white hair and tanned skin, it was easy to tell that she was related to Kaolla. She was wearing an Indian style white sari dress, with gold bangles on her wrists and ankles, making a musical chiming sound as she moved. Golden strapped sandals were on her feet, and she moved with a grace that Keitaro had only previously seen on master level martial artists.

Seeing the group of people start to move toward him, Keitaro mentally asked the gods for guidance. Even if she was not noble or royal, Lady Su was obviously of a higher station than him, and needed to be treated accordingly.

Stepping out of the doorway and silently grateful that he had put on some sandals before opening the door, Keitaro walked forward and came to a halt once he came to the walkway leading to the drive the vehicles were parked on. Once the group stopped about two meters in front of him, Keitaro gave a bow and held it, even though he kept his eyes up and on the group - some hard-learned lessons were never to be forgotten. "Greetings Lady Su, and welcome to the Hinata Sou. I am Keitaro Urashima, the manager of this house and dormitory. It is a great honor to receive you, I only wish I had been informed that someone of your stature was coming today, I would have made better arrangements." All this was done in English, as Lady Su was obviously not Japanese, and her assistant spoke English.

"Greetings, Keitaro-san, it is good to see finally meet you. I have heard so much about your from my sister Kaolla." Lady Su's voice was slightly deeper than Keitaro's, with a musical lilt to it. "Please call me Amalla, Lady Su is much too formal."

"Lady Amalla," both Keitaro and Amalla smiled slightly at that, "what can I do for you today?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about Kaolla. I know how… enthusiastic she can be with her research projects, and I wanted to see what I could do to allay your concerns."

"Would you like to come in for some tea while we talk, Lady Amalla?" Keitaro gestured toward the house. He did not get a response since at that point Kaolla ran out of the house and with a cry of "Big Sister!" jumped at her sibling. Amalla was able to catch her without falling over, and gave a smile as she hugged her, the younger girl talking a mile a minute in her native language.

"Kaolla, it's not polite to speak in a different language in front of those who don't understand it." Amalla rubbed the top of her sister's head as Kaolla switched languages.

"It's good to see you, Big Sister. How long are you going to be here?" Kaolla finally let go of her sister and stood next to her.

"Just for today. I wanted to talk to your manager here and we can go out to get something to eat later." Amalla turned and started speaking to him. "Keitaro-san, the first thing I wanted to ask you is if it is all right to replace the shed that Kaolla is storing her MechaTama in? It would be at our cost, and it would be more secure and safe than what is in place now."

"How big is this new shed going to be?" Keitaro looked from Kaolla to Amalla.

"Maybe twice as big as the shed you have now. It would also have safety precautions for Kaolla's work."

"That sounds fine. When would you like for this to be done?" Keitaro asked.

"Now, if that is alright with you. We would also move most of Kaolla's more… sensitive research equipment from her room to the shed right now as well." Keitaro gave a nod, and Amalla turned to the gentleman beside her. "Mr. Patel, go ahead with the work we outlined earlier." The man nodded and briskly walked over to the van behind them. After speaking to the driver briefly, everyone got out and started to unload materials from the moving van, what looked to be sections of a prefabricated shed.

"Kaolla, go with Mr. Patel and assist him with your equipment. I need to speak with Keitaro-san for a few minutes." Kaolla gave a happy nod and bounced off after the man in the suit.

"Keitaro-san, if you could walk with me? Rebecca, please give us some room." At Amalla's softly given command, the bodyguards spread out to where they were out of immediately earshot and Amalla started walking away from the house and toward the back yard, Keitaro beside her.

"Has my little sister been giving you problems, Keitaro-san? I know how much of a handful she can be at times." Amalla was looking around the land behind the Sou, although she did look back at Keitaro when she asked her question.

"We did not have an ideal first meeting, but after some rules were put in place regarding her research, it calmed down. There has not been an incident since." Keitaro kept his focus on the older Su sister as they walked along.

"You may not know this, Keitaro-san, but Kaolla is part of the royal family of the island nation of MolMol. She is number three in the line of succession, so some liberties can be taken with where she lives and goes to school. As you can imagine, we keep an eye on her, just not as close as the security around me and my husband. So when we found out that a new manager had taken over the dorm she was staying at, we looked into it."

Keitaro came to a halt. With a steady voice but no emotion on his face, he asked, "Is my past causing a problem?"

Amalla stopped and looked back at him. "Not at all. Once we got your name, we did a background check on you, and of course certain incidents came to light. We checked with the governments of Japan and Thailand, and did a review ourselves with our security people, and everything came back as justified under the circumstances. We do not have a problem with you, Keitaro-san, otherwise we would not be having this conversation. Kaolla would have been withdrawn from this dorm and that would have been it."

Keitaro stood and looked at Amalla for a long moment before looking away. "I'm glad to hear that, Lady Amalla. Those incidents were not the proudest moments in my life."

"Keitaro-san, there is nothing to be proud of in the taking of human life. We would be more concerned if you *were* proud of it. You defended those too weak to defend themselves and lives were lost in the process, lives that would have been forfeit in our country if the crimes had been committed there. What you have done instead is to go on with your life while you have learned from what has occurred. That is the most that anyone could ask of you ." Amalla looked steadily at him before looking forward again. "I am sorry I brought this up, Keitaro-san, but I needed to know about the person that is now taking care of my little sister."

"I understand, Lady Amalla." Keitaro walked up to where he was even with Amalla. "I can promise you that I would take care of the residents of the Sou the same way I would my family."

"I'm glad to hear that, Keitaro-san." Amalla smiled at him, and he could see more than a little of her younger sister in it. "Let's go see how the shed is coming along, yes? I want to make sure Kaolla didn't decide to use the old shed for target practice."

"Yes, lets." Keitaro smiled back at her as they turned and started walking to the back yard.

"Keitaro-san, did Kaolla ever tell you that you look a lot like my husband Lambda?" Amalla had a teasing smile on her face.

"Well, she did call me 'Big Brother' once when she was sleepy. I didn't understand why at the time."

"Well, perhaps one day the two of you will meet. It should prove interesting." Amalla's smile widened as they entered the yard to see Kaolla riding around on MechaTama in flight mode while the workers were tearing down the old shed.

* * *

><p>1 - ohayo - Japanese greeting, equivalent to 'Good Morning', but can be used whenever people see each other for the first time that day.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

_Author Note - Starting with the last chapter, I put version numbers on the chapter headers so it is more apparent when changes are made. This way, if you download the chapter, you can tell if you have the most current one, although this is mostly to correct the odd typo that gets through the spell and beta check. Most corrections are done by the time the next chapter comes out._

_Please see second A/N at the end of this chapter._

Ch 14

V 1.5

Motoko Aoyama was no stranger to getting up before dawn. Almost from the time she could stand on her own, her mother or her older sister would shake her awake and rouse her from her warm bed to join them in their morning ritual of stretching, kata, and then conditioning exercises. By the time the sun had cleared the horizon, Motoko would have been up for more than an hour and usually on her way inside her home to bathe and get ready for either school or more training. However, on occasion she would pause and watch the rising sun for a few moments, feeling the warming rays play over her body, to remind her that each day was a gift from the kami, and should be utilized to the utmost.

This habit had carried over to when she had moved to the Hinata-sou. Even though she had been alone in practicing martial arts, her duties as the heir to the God's Cry School drove her to continue her training, to improve her skills until the day she was called upon to take over the family school. Even so, she would still pause before entering the house to watch the sun clear the horizon, enjoying the calm before the start of the day.

But now things had changed since the new manager had arrived.

One of the things that Motoko had learned from her family school was how to detect life energy, usually in the form of _chi_ that was produced by all living things. Her current skill level and sensitivity would not let her detect the energy produced by insects or individual plants, but she could detect the collective energy given off by a forest, or an open field full of flowers. And if she was not careful, she could pick up on the energy that emanated from people… energy that was colored by emotion.

Motoko was not very experienced in blocking the detection of _chi_, and that could be a major problem for her. If she was in a large enough crowd of people, and they were all feeling more or less the same strong emotions, it could affect her as well. Thankfully, the Japanese were not an overly emotional people, so it did not bother her too much. However, there was one emotion that was abhorrent to her, and that was male sexual desire. It was bad enough to see men's leering faces and know what they were thinking, it was quite another to feel the foul oily sensation of perversion.

One of the reasons that Motoko had been allowed to leave the family dojo was so she could get experience in being among large groups of people. Kyoto was not small by any measure, but the crowds of the bustling metropolis of Tokyo were something else entirely.

Motoko had learned how to tamp down her detection of _chi_, and most times she was alright even when she was in a major crowd. On the other hand, if someone were to actually touch her, and they were projecting a strong enough emotion, she could feel it. And if that person was one of the deviants that seemed to breed in this city like cockroaches, all bets were off. All men had degrees of perverted feelings within them, although it tended to be stronger in younger men.

However the new manager was something else entirely. Even though he was not that much older than she was, there was very little emotion radiating from him when he was around the tenants, although he did not act emotionless. Even when tensions were high at the tenant meeting, there was little that was given off from him. Haruka was similar in her emotional control, but she tended to act with little overt emotion anyway.

Kanako, on the other hand, was something she had almost no experience with. The younger sister and assistant manager was a boiling cauldron of emotion, so jumbled that she could not pick one emotion from another. There was one thing that was apparent, though; she was very close to her brother, and very protective. Her actions during the tenant meeting were proof of it. Motoko knew that even though Keitaro had already beaten her in a fight, and that Haruka was no small threat, it was Kanako that had the potential to be devastating.

Motoko shivered, thinking back to their confrontation in the hallway outside the kitchen the other day. Even though Kanako was slighter of height and build, she had felt as though she were a mouse under the gaze of a cat, one that was deciding on whether it was worth the trouble to crush her.

But now, standing in the window at the end of the second floor hallway, Motoko could see the Urashima siblings on the rear lawn, practicing their kata. They actually trained twice a day, in the morning at dawn, and in the afternoon after Kanako arrived home from school. The afternoon sessions were dedicated to training with Naru, where they were concentrating on her emotional control, and some basic martial arts moves, as they were try to get her away from her overuse of the infamous Naru Punch. And now after two weeks of training, Motoko could see the difference in Naru; she was calmer and less likely to go off at the least provocation from some unlucky person. Nevertheless, she was not shy in protecting herself, as the perverts in the trains were still pained to learn.

The Urashima tended to do the slow forms of martial arts, mostly Tai Chi. Motoko would have scoffed at the practice of such a calm method, if she had not learned just how effective it was at age 14, when a master in the discipline had visited the family dojo. In fact, it was Granny Hina, and it was an eye-opener to see some of the best attacks by students at the school get deflected and knocked away. What was maddening was to see the smile on Hina's face as she twirled and spun around attacks, both open hand and with bokken. It was almost as though Hina was performing a traditional dance rather than fending off attackers. Of course, the fact that her dance partners tended to go face first into the practice mats tended to be discouraging. It was also the first time that Motoko had seen someone enjoy the martial arts; not that they took pleasure in hurting people, but just simple joy in the movement.

What Motoko was seeing now was similar to what she had seen in the dojo that summer day years ago. Only instead of seeing it on the lined face of a master of the art, it was on the face of someone Motoko had not seen smile before, Kanako Urashima.

Kanako and Keitaro were facing each other, slightly beyond arm's length apart as they moved in unison as they did their kata. What was very unusual was how they were moving - Kanako was literally mirroring Keitaro's every move. As his right arm came up and across, her left arm would rise in unison and go across as well. As his left foot slid back and Keitaro moved back a step, Kanako slid her right foot forward and matched the step, keeping them the same distance as before.

What held Motoko's attention was the look on Kanako's face. Her eyes were locked with her brother's, never looking down to match his movements. It was though they were communicating solely through their eyes, and had no need for another method. And all this while moving around practicing deflections and evasions , moving around the grass as though they were dancing a waltz in a ballroom, with no touching, no talking, and no music. Kanako was smiling softly, and her brother had a slight curve on his lips as well.

Finally, the kata came to an end, and the two halted their movements. Facing each other, they simultaneously bowed and held it, their eyes up and fixed on each other. They then straightened up and Keitaro's face was split by a broad smile. Motoko could not hear what he said to his sister, but Kanako was apparently very glad to hear it, as she sprung forward and hugged him. After talking to him for a few moments, Keitaro stepped back and Kanako looked a little disappointed. She joined him as they started walking back to the house, apparently to get ready for the day.

Motoko stepped away from the window and started walking toward the stairs. She had her own daily training to complete, and then a day to get ready for. But now Motoko had some unanswered questions, and she knew who could probably answer them for her, as soon as she got back from school. It was the day to make the weekly phone call home , and perhaps her sister Tsuruko could provide some answers.

* * *

><p>"<em>Moshi-moshi, Aoyama residence."<em>

"_Ohayo _Tsuruko-aneue, it is Motoko, how are you today?"

"_Ah, Motoko-chan, it is good to hear from you. I am doing well, how are you doing?"_

"Things could be going better, but right now it is relatively calm. I am doing well in school and I am still working on improving my _chi_ sensing and control For now I am able to hold a _ki_ ball in my hand for about five minutes before I use up my reserves."

"_That is very good, Motoko-chan. You have to continue building up your reserves before you can reach the next level of your training in the family art. I know that you can launch ki attacks with your sword now, but ideally you should be able to do it without any physical focus. How is your emotional control training coming along?"_

"That has been advancing as well, but not as rapidly as I would prefer, aneue. I can block the sensing of strong emotion in large groups, but it soon as someone touches me directly, it collapses."

"_And you lose your temper and attack them, don't you Motoko-chan?"_

"Since most of the people that touch me without permission are deviants attempting to have their way with me, I am completely justified in doing so."

"_And what of the others, those who touch you by accident? Surely they don't have any ill-intent upon you."_

"That is mostly true, aneue. In that case I just pull away from them and that is sufficient."

"_That is good to hear, Motoko-chan. I was always concerned when your temper got the better of you."_

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something related to that. Do you remember meeting my fellow tenant Naru Narusegawa?"

"_The brown-haired studious girl? Yes, I remember her. I also remember what she did to that college student that touched her without her permission when we all went out to eat that night. I did not know that a person could fly so far from just one hit. "_

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about, aneue. The new manager and his sister have been working with her to help her control her temper, and it seems to be working. Naru-san has been more relaxed and less likely to lose her temper."

"_So what is the problem, Motoko-chan? This sounds like a good thing."_

"It is more than that. The new manager is the one that insisted that Naru start working on her temper if she were to continue living here. I feel there is something out of place with the manager, and it is not something I can put my finger on."

"_Has the new manager not been acting in a proper manner? I would think that you would not be shy in voicing your complaints if there was something wrong."_

"The new manager and I have not confronted each other since he first came to the Hinata-sou and set the new rules that were a condition of residency. I must admit that I nearly lost my temper when he set a new rule prohibiting the open carry of weapons in the Sou, but he deliberately left a loophole for me to take advantage of, and it has been acceptable, if not agreeable."

"_This new manager is sounding like quite the interesting fellow, Motoko-chan. I would think that you would chafe about being under the authority of someone like that."_

"It is not like I have much of a choice. The new manager is the grandson of Granny Hina, and has just been named the clan heir, bypassing his father and aunt."

"_Oh? That is rather uncommon. Now that I think of it, you have not mentioned the new manager's name, have you Motoko-chan?"_

"I am sorry for the omission, aneue. His name is Keitaro Urashima. His younger sister is Kanako Urashima, and she is acting as the assistant manager."

"_Umm… I seem to remember meeting Hina-san's grandson many years ago. Keitaro would have been around ten years of age, and it was when I came to visit Hina-san at the Sou. He seemed like a pleasant child at the time, very studious yet eager to pursue physical pursuits as well."_

"From what I have seen, it seems that he has continued in that direction. He is a ronin and is studying to take the entrance exam for Todai, even though he has already taken it once and did not pass."

"_Persistence is an admirable trait, Motoko-chan. We also learn more from our failures than from our triumphs."_

"Aneue, I wanted to ask you, what do you know of the martial arts that the Urashima practice? I seem to remember you mentioning once that they had a family style of their own?"

"_The Urashima do not practice a distinct style of martial arts. What they do is encourage their family members to study various disciplines and integrate them into their own personal style. What I do know is that most of them are usually at dan level in kendo and Tai Chi by the time they become adults. You remember when Hina-san came to the dojo to practice with our students."_

"Yes, I remember. That demonstration made quite the impression on me, especially when Granny Hina was fending off three swordsmen at once while unarmed."

"_Hina-san is the equivalent to a high dan master in her knowledge and experience. It would give me very serious pause to have to fight her, Motoko-chan."_

"I have seen the manager and his sister practicing their kata here at the Sou, and today I saw something I have never seen before. The manager was performing a Tai Chi kata, and his sister was mirroring his motions, in perfect synchronization, maintaining the same distance throughout, and with them not looking away from each other's faces. Aneue, it was a perfect kata on both their parts."

"…_That is very rare, Motoko-chan. That speaks to a possible soul bond between the two of them, where they know each other so well that they don't need to signal or speak to each other in a fight. Together they would be very dangerous to face against in battle. How old are the two of them?"_

"The manager is approximately 20 years old. His sister is slightly younger than I am, yet she drives a motorcycle, so she is at least 16 years old."

"_Motoko-chan, I've noticed that you do not refer to either of the Urashima by name, why is that? You yourself said you are no longer having trouble with them."_

"I… just don't feel comfortable around them. The manager does an acceptable job in controlling his emotions, at least to the point where I normally don't detect the _chi_ he produces, but his sister is another story. Her emotions are always straining against her control. It is like standing in front of a bonfire and not knowing if it will suddenly grow out of control."

"_Interesting… and this Kanako is at least dan level from what you tell me. Maybe this is the result of her training and controlling her emotions."_

"If this is after her learning control, I shudder to think about meeting her before she learned to control her _chi_."

"_Heh… yes, quite. Motoko-chan, there is something I should tell you. Do you know if Kanako-san practices her martial arts outside of family training?"_

"As a matter of fact, it was mentioned that Kanako-san used to compete in the public school tournaments, and did very well, but that this year she was only going to coach the school club competitors. I did find that odd."

"_It is not as much odd as it is necessary. Kanako-san is the exception to most Urashima, who do not compete in martial arts. They are not specifically banned from competing, but their presence tends to make opponents who know about them rather nervous."_

"Nervous for what reason, aneue?"

"_The Urashima family art was developed as a combat defense school, and it is pretty much still one to this day. Practitioners can control the amount of harm they can cause their opponents, but if they are pressed too hard, or if someone is in serious danger, they revert to the original training, and that at the very least is rather rough on their opponents. You do not want to get a Urashima very angry with you when you fight them, you will not escape unscathed. "_

"That is not an encouraging thing to hear, aneue. Have you so little faith in our training?"

"_It is more along the line that I have seen what happens when a Urashima loses their temper. Please take my word on this, Motoko-chan."_

"Very well, aneue. I have to get going now, dinner will be served shortly in the dining room. It was good to talk with you."

"_And I am always happy to hear from you as well, Motoko-chan. Have a good night."_

"Good-night, aneue."

* * *

><p>Keitaro sighed as the train finally pulled into the station. The legendary Japanese bureaucracy had taken its toll today. The Kanazawa Ward building permit office had not been happy that the old shed at the Sou had been replaced by the new one without the necessary paperwork, so they were making it difficult in approving the paperwork, even though the MolMol embassy had already received preliminary approval for the replacement. Keitaro had to personally go down to the ward office to get the final documents approved. Now it was 3:30 in the afternoon, and he was hoping to get off the train before the end of the business day and the human wave of workers that poured from the hundreds of offices and flooded the mass transit system to get home.<p>

Walking onto the train carriage and hooking his arm around one of the overhead vertical supports, Keitaro reached up and pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt collar while shifting the knapsack on his back. Even after years of attending a public school with the traditional military styled _gakuran_ uniform, Keitaro was not comfortable with having a tight collar. In fact, it was the only thing he ever got in trouble about in school, as he would unlatch his collar as soon as he thought he could get away with it, and sometimes a strict teacher would not approve. Compared to the more delinquent elements at his school, it was almost ridiculous to get demerits for that, but then again, Keitaro was less likely to laugh in the face of the offended teacher than a _yanki _or _bozozoku_ student.

Feeling the carriage jerk as they started to leave the station, Keitaro pulled in tighter against the support and started to look around. Thankfully the carriage was not packed the way it was earlier in the morning so Keitaro was able to get a good look around. He was at the rear of the carriage so he was able to look forward down the length of the car, and that is when he saw her.

Leaning up against a carriage window was a girl with long brown hair done up in two thick braids, heavy horn-rimmed glasses on her face. She was dressed in baggy overalls with a heavy sweatshirt on top and was gazing out the window with a distant look on her face. She looked very familiar to Keitaro, and after a moment he realized why; it was Naru Narasegawa, with a totally different look from what he was used to at the Sou.

Keitaro mentally debated if he should approach and greet her. While they were getting along better than when he had first come to the Sou, they were still not very close to each other, at least in a 'let's make casual conversation with each other' way, especially in the confines of a train carriage. So he decided to keep his distance, and if she got off at the same train station as him, he could greet her then.

Decision made, Keitaro started to look around the carriage again. From the looks of things, they were two stops away from the station closest to the Sou, where he and presumably Naru would get off.

Looking up toward the front, Keitaro saw something unusual; two men, both in their twenties, _yanki_ (thug) types, were walking toward the rear of the carriage. Normally, commuters did not move through a crowded carriage unless they were about to get off at a station.

Looking closer, Keitaro could feel the hair on the back of his neck start to stand. Both men had what was called a predator look on them; their faces were tilted downward slightly but their eyes were up and scanning, looking for threats and witnesses. Their eyes kept coming back to their presumed target however; the oblivious girl looking out the window.

By the time Keitaro processed all this, the two _yanki_ were a short distance away from Naru. Keitaro started toward them, but was three meters away when the two were right next to her. Still, he was close enough to hear the one who dropped a heavy arm on a startled Naru's shoulders hiss out the words, "Hiya bitch, remember me?"

Keitaro could see shock, anger, and then surprisingly, fear cross over Naru's face. Looking over where the second _yanki_ standing behind her, he could see the reason; a knife was pressed point first against her back, right at about kidney level.

Feeling his blood run cold, Keitaro held steady at two meters, still hidden in the crowd of commuters. Consciously, he turned his head so it appeared like he was looking past them, but he kept them in his view out of the corner of his eye. He could also hear what the first _yanki_ continued to say to the now terrified Naru.

"You shouldn't have kneed me in the balls the other day, you stupid bitch. Now you are going to come with me and my buddy to a nice quiet place I know and have a real good time with us, or we'll stick you and leave you to bleed to death on this train." The _yanki_ grinned sadistically, showing tobacco stained teeth.

Keitaro's mind was now running at a hundred miles an hour. Both _yanki_ were too close to Naru for him to take out, especially with her at knifepoint. There were no uniformed security or police officers in sight, and while there were some assigned to train stations, by the time he found one the two men and Naru would be long gone. The only way to stop them was to spring an ambush on them as they started to move off the train and onto the platform.

Hearing the conductor announce their arrival at the next station, Keitaro rapidly put a plan together in his head. It would require split second timing, and what an instructor had amusingly called 'the violence of action'.

Feeling the train come to a stop, Keitaro turned and faced the doors as they opened, still keeping the two men and girl on the edge of his vision. Waiting until they started to walk through the unknowing crowd, Keitaro followed behind them, and when they were on the platform and clear of most of the crowd, he flipped a mental selector switch in his head.

Moving at a brisk walk, Keitaro came up behind the trio, but off to the left side, as the lead _yanki_ was on Naru's right and had his left arm on her shoulders. The second _yanki _was to Naru's left and behind her, using his body to conceal the knife he had pressed up to her back, his arm at a 45 degree angle and aimed inwards

Looking as though he was going to pass to their left, Keitaro abruptly rotated on the left foot and came up to the right and behind the second _yanki_. Reaching out with both hands, he grabbed the _yanki_'s elbow and wrist , and while locking down the wrist so he could not harm Naru, drove the heel of his other hand full force up and against the back of his elbow.

With a loud crackly pop, the _yanki_'s elbow disintegrated as it was forced to bend 90 degrees in a direction it was never meant to go. The _yanki_'s shriek of agony instantly attracted the attention of everyone in a fifty meter radius, badly startling his partner and their victim.

Even as Naru and the other _yanki_ instinctively cringed, Keitaro jerked the first _yanki_ back and kicked him hard behind the knee. Even if there was no audible pop with this strike, the fact that his knees slammed into the pavement full force did not help at all. His head hitting the concrete with a thud a moment later was merely icing on the cake.

"NARU, GET AWAY!" Keitaro roared as he spun back toward the remaining _yanki_. Seeing him tighten his grip on the now struggling girl and his free hand start to dig into his jacket pocket, Keitaro leapt forward and unleashed a hand strike over Naru's shoulder aimed at the _yanki_'s face. However the heel of his hand missed his nose and impacted on the _yanki_'s orbital arch above his eye socket with a crunch, causing him to jerk away and release Naru, who fell to the ground and started to scrabble away from the fight.

"Bastard!" The _yanki_ was snarling as he finally pulled his hand from his pocket, producing a switchblade that he immediately clicked open. "I'm gonna fucking cut you up!"

Keitaro almost laughed at the weapon. Given what he had previously faced, a cheap switchblade with a three inch blade was almost an insult. But seeing the _yanki_ drop into a knife fighter's stance, Keitaro knew to take this seriously.

Slipping off his knapsack, Keitaro grabbed the shoulder straps with his left hand, holding the bag as an improvised shield and flail. His right hand was up and cocked, ready to strike as soon as an opportunity presented itself. And it did not take long; as soon as the _yanki_'s knife started to arc in toward him, Keitaro blocked it with his bag, continuing to advance forward and pushing up against the _yanki_'s knife so that it was trapped under pressure and unable to be easily freed.

Close enough to be pressing his bag against the _yanki_ , Keitaro launched a knife-hand strike at his throat. It did not hit hard enough to crush his windpipe, nonetheless the _yanki_ fell back gasping and wheezing, one hand to his neck.

Seeing that that _yanki_ was still holding the knife, even if he was almost combat ineffective, Keitaro moved to finish the fight. Stepping forward, he unleashed a forward snap kick into the _yanki_'s stomach, the tip of his boot hitting the solar plexus, driving out his air and temporarily paralyzing his breathing; he instantly doubled over, but was still on his feet. Sliding to the side opposite the knife, Keitaro fired off a three-quarter power straight punch into the side of the _yanki_'s jaw. His head snapped to the side and he dropped like a bag of rocks, instantly unconscious.

Standing there for a moment and breathing heavily, Keitaro looked around him, making sure there were no other threats present. Other than a few dozen commuters who had watched the brutal fight in shocked disbelief, and Naru, who was wide-eyed as she was still sitting on the pavement a few meters away, there was nothing else that looked to be a threat.

Stepping over to where the last _yanki's _knife was laying next to his hand, Keitaro kicked it a couple meters away to keep it out of reach. Looking over at where the first _yanki_'s knife was, he saw that it was far enough already.

"Someone call for the police…" Keitaro finally said, his voice hoarse. "Tell them we need medical assistance as well." Seeing that no one was moving, he mentally rolled his eyes. "For the gods' sake…" he muttered as he stepped toward one of the support pillars of the station and hit the red emergency alert button before stepping back toward the downed _yanki _and the prep school student who was slowly coming to her feet. "You OK, Naru?"

"Yeah…" Naru was now standing, but not too steadily. "What about you?"

"I've been better." Keitaro looked up as he started to hear police whistles and running feet coming up the stairs to the station. "It's over now Naru," he said as he stepped up next to her. Seeing her start to shiver slightly, Keitaro very carefully reached out with his hand and put it on her shoulder. After a long moment, Naru almost collapsed onto Keitaro as she started to get a major case of the shakes.

Dropping the knapsack still in his hand and holding onto the trembling girl, Keitaro looked up to see uniformed police start to arrive and pause at the sight of the two unconscious _yanki_. "Officer, this girl's been the victim of an assault, she needs medical attention!" he called out.

As more officers arrived, Keitaro relaxed slightly. Although the day was far from over, the danger was past, and that was never a bad thing.

* * *

><p><em>Author Note (second) - I want to thank all the readers of this story, which at this point in time has had more than 34,300 Hits, 76 Reviews, 136 Story Alerts, 136 Favorites, and is on 10 C2 lists. Pretty good for a couple months work. *grin*<em>

_As I may have mentioned before, when a story is posted on FFN, the writer can go to the Author Statistics page and see more detailed facts about who is reading your story. Among these facts are the countries where the story is being read. And while it is quite obvious that most of the readers are in the US (for example, roughly 13,000 hits out 19,000 hits in the month of August are from the US) you see all the different places in the world that is reading __**your**__ story. Kinda intimidating, actually._

_So the reason I am bringing this up is to mention all the out of the way places where some guy/gal is sitting in front of their computer and goes, 'Hey, I want to read me some Love Hina fanfic, lets go online!'_

_What are some of these out of the way places? (If I don't list your country, it's not because I am snubbing you, it's just because it doesn't have that 'Damn, someone in so-and-so country is reading __**my**__ story?' zing to it. Needless to say, almost all of the industrialized heavy hitter countries are represented, i.e. North and South America, Europe, and parts of Asia.)._

_Here is a partial list for the month of August, in no particular order :_

_Iceland_

_Slovakia_

_Northern Marinas Islands_

_China (I'm presuming the PRC) and Hong Kong_

_Jordan and United Arab Emirates_

_Latvia and Estonia_

_Barbados and the Bahamas _

_India and Pakistan _

_Brunei and Singapore_

_Australia and New Zealand (lots of fans Down Under , actually)_

_South Africa and Mauritius (had to look that one up, and I'm good in geography)_

_The Russian Federation_

_Iraq _

_And the mysterious 'blank' listing. I'm not kidding – there is a listing for a country out there, but the slot for the country name is blank. Which means that for all I know it can be coming from Antarctica, the middle of the ocean, or outer space. *shrug*_

_And the last interesting fact – I have less readers in Japan (12) than I do in Malaysia (40). Go figure. *shrug again*_

_Thanks again for reading._


	15. Chapter 15

Ch 15

"Kitsune-semapi, could you get the tea please?"

Picking up the steaming tea kettle, Mitsune Konno carried it to the dining room table. If someone had told the fox girl a month before that she would be doing domestic duties at the Hinata-sou and happy to do so, she would have thought they were out of their mind. A lot had changed in that month however, ever since the arrival of the new manager and his sister.

Being faced with the possibility of being evicted had certainly gotten her attention. Kitsune had gotten through her life by either scamming some unwitting soul or by bailing out when the heat got too much. That had changed when she left her uncle's house and she had no other place to go. Going through her mental Rolodex had brought her to the dorm of the only person she had left to call a debt on, Naru Narusegawa.

Naru and Kitsune had been good friends through high school, but that was not what the debt was for. One day on the train home to school, a pervert had managed to corner the fuku clad girl and was groping her, hidden by the crowd. Only the gods knew how far he would have gone with the terrified girl if Kitsune had not jumped in, hitting him over the head with her schoolbag and screaming 'pervert' at the top of her lungs. The pervert managed to escape once the train pulled into the station, and Kitsune had to drag the sobbing girl off the carriage, past all the bystanders who avoided their eyes, having seen the assault in progress yet doing nothing to stop it.

That day had badly affected Naru's life. Not only did she suddenly start seeing all men as perverts and potential assaulters, what little help she had received from their tutor Noriyasu Seta only compounded it. He had taught her some fighting techniques, just enough to make her dangerous, and right after Naru had developed a massive crush on him he disappeared from their lives. Naru never really recovered after that, since she refused to talk to anyone about the assault and mental counseling was looked down upon in Japan.

Kitsune almost did not recognize Naru when she first saw her at the Sou. Wearing horn-rimmed glasses, braids, and concealing clothing, Naru looked little like she did back in high school. She was glad to see Kitsune however, and once she had explained her situation to her and asked to stay a day or two, she agreed and took her to meet Granny Hina.

That meeting had been a trip and a half. Once Kitsune had met the eyes of the short elderly owner of the Sou, she knew that this was one person she would not be able to scam, deceive, or trick. The most she had been able to do is tell her the truth… not all the truth, mind you, but without the things that made her really look bad, like scamming guys for drinks at bars, or walking the check at restaurants.

Still, Granny Hina had given her a chance, and let her move into the Sou, without the rental deposit up front, on the condition that she pay additional with each rent payment to eventually cover it. That additional payment, plus her natural tendency to not work hard (or at all) unless she had to, was what had resulted in the rent arrears when the new manager and his sister had arrived.

When Kitsune had first met Keitaro, she naturally assumed that the geeky looking young man was someone she would be able to work her feminine wiles on. And it had gotten close that morning in the kitchen, but for some reason he had been able to step away from her approaching kiss.

The new manager's attitude did not improve her self-confidence when he had done the room inspection the following day. By the end of it she had been relieved that he had decided to give her a chance. Although she had been zinged twice with the new rules that the new manager had announced, Kitsune had discovered that they were workable. And that was literal, as she had to work a part-time job with Haruka in order to start paying toward her rent arrears.

The first few days at the teahouse had not been pleasant, as Haruka was a stickler to keeping the place clean, due to Health and Safety codes they had to meet. Those first four hours with a scrub pad and a bucket of hot soapy water had easily topped any amount of cleaning she had ever done in her life. And while Haruka was not literally watching her every moment, it felt like it sometimes. Any time that she thought she had could slack off for a few minutes, Haruka would appear behind her and startle her, usually telling her to go and clean the restrooms again. The one time the fox girl had whined at the instruction, Haruka mentioned that her other option was to work for Kanako. Kitsune had taken off running after that.

As intimidating as Keitaro and Haruka could get, they were nothing compared to the younger sister. Kanako Urashima had an intense personality that was at odds with her appearance. She was actually a little shorter than Kitsune, and more slender, but she gave the impression of being larger than she actually was, or at least more of a possible threat. Even with her tendency to dress in Gothic Lolita clothes, it was as though there was a great cat under her skin, poised to leap out and destroy whatever she considered a threat. And having seen her practice martial arts with her brother, Kitsune knew she could do it, and there would be little she could do to stop her; in fact, it would probably take a trained martial artist to stop her once she got going. Once the fox girl realized how protective Kanako was of her brother, she had tossed out any plan or ideas on getting closer to Keitaro, deciding it was not worth the literal physical risk involved.

But now that Kitsune had been working at the teahouse for a while, it was becoming easier for her. As she got the tasks down, she was able to let her mind wander as her hands did the work. It actually helped with her writing, as listening to the customers would give her ideas for her own work.

Setting the kettle on the table, Kitsune was about to return to the kitchen to help Shinobu carry out the rest of the food when she heard the telephone out in the hallway intersection ring. Brushing her hands against the apron she was wearing, Kitsune walked over to answer it, as there was no one else on the first floor right now besides herself and Shinobu in the kitchen.

"Moshi-moshi, Hinata-sou," Kitsune said into the receiver after picking it up.

"_Kitsune, it's Haruka,"_ came the voice of her erstwhile boss. _"I'm just calling to let you know that Keitaro, Naru, and I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight."_

"Why, what happened Haruka-san?" Kitsune sounded concerned as she straightened up.

"_Naru was assaulted on the train, it was pretty bad. I can't tell you the details now, but Naru's OK. Keitaro and I are at the police station, he's being interviewed right now."_

"Why is Keitaro being interviewed by the cops? He was involved?" asked the fox grl, surprised to hear that .

"_You could say that. He was on the same train car when he saw two yankis take Naru off the car and managed to stop them. He kicked the crap out of them, and it was justifiable, but Keitaro did a lot of damage to the bastards, so they have to go through the motions. As soon as the paperwork is done, we're gonna come home, but we won't make dinner."_

"But Naru is fine?" Kitsune would just image how her friend would react to an assault similar to the one that had so traumatized her.

"_Physically, at least. She kinda broke down for a while, but she seems better now. It helps that she saw Keitaro beat the bastards down. Those two are at the hospital ward of the Tokyo Detention Center, and they're not getting out anytime soon. It looks like they may be involved in some unsolved crimes the cops have on the books, that's the other reason the cops are cutting Keitaro slack, he just closed a few cases for them."_

"Well, as long as Naru is OK. How long before you all get home?"

"_From what I can tell, maybe a couple of hours from now. The cops will have the statements from both Naru and Keitaro done by then. We'll probably take a cab home."_

"I'll tell Shinobu to set some of the food aside. What do you want me to tell them about why you aren't here?"

"_Just that there was an incident on the train, Keitaro called me to come help with Naru, and that we're all OK. I don't want you to tell them what happened until we're all there. That includes Kanako if she's gotten home already. "_

"Yeah, don't think the kiddies would take it very well. And if Assistant Manager-san found out about it she's storm the police station to get her big brother out."

"_Last thing we want is Kana-chan doing a Dynamic Entry through a cinder-block wall. Look, I've got to get going, Naru looks like she's about to fall asleep sitting up. We'll see you in a while."_

"Later, Haruka-san." Kitsune slowly hung up the phone and walked back to the kitchen, not noticing that Motoko had been standing around the corner of the intersecting hallway and had been listening to Kitsune's side of the conversation, an angry look on her face.

* * *

><p>"We're finally here, Naru-san, wake up." Haruka shook the shoulder of the dozing teen who was leaning up against her.<p>

Today had not been one of her better days, and this was with her not even being involved in the fun and games. She had been working at the teahouse when she got that phone call no one was ever happy to get - Keitaro and Naru were at the prefecture police station, and they needed her to come on down. In fact, she was lucky that she even received the phone call, as people in Japanese police custody could be held for 48 hours before being allowed to call for family members or a lawyer. It was the fact that the victim in the attempted kidnap lived at the same location as the guy they were questioning and she was loudly proclaiming that he had saved her from the moaning and bleeding thugs on the ground that got him some slack. The family name of Urashima did not hurt either.

Once Haruka had gotten to the station and talked to the investigating detective, a former classmate of hers from high school, it became clear what had happened on the train and on the platform, especially after they pulled the surveillance camera footage. However, one of the officers had a bug up his butt about the amount of force Keitaro had used to drop the bastards, and was giving her nephew a hard time until his supervisor pulled him aside and set him straight. After that, they just had to wait for the prosecutor to show up so that Keitaro and Naru could go over their sworn statements before they were released at 9:30 PM, more than four hours after Haruka had gotten there.

The trams had pretty much shut down after 9:00 PM, so they did wind up having to take a taxi to the Sou, but that was something of a mixed blessing, as Naru was too tired to be walking up the steps in the front, but the cost of a cab was such that it almost looked like a car payment.

Looking past the yawning and blinking girl beside her, Haruka looked over at Keitaro, who was looking out the window with a emotionless expression on his face. She did not know quite what to think about he had done that day. He was absolutely justified in rescuing Naru from the two thugs, and the level of force he had used was legal, even if not for family viewing. But given all that had happened to him in the last couple years, it was something that he did not need to occur. Sometimes Haruka wondered if her nephew had been cursed to live though interesting times.

Keitaro blinked as the taxi came to a halt. Seeing that they were at the rear entrance of the Sou, he looked over and saw that Naru was waking up and Haruka was opening the door on her side. Getting out on his side, Keitaro started to dig in his pockets.

"Go ahead, Haru-chan, I'll pay the driver." Keitaro slung his knapsack over one shoulder as he started to count out bills, mentally wincing. Even for a 8 km trip, this little jaunt cost almost as much as an intercity train ticket.

After handing the bills to the driver and watching him drive off, Keitaro turned and started walking for the back door. He could see the two females up ahead of him, Naru with her arm over Haruka's shoulders. But something seemed off, something that was starting to cause the hair on the back of his neck to start to stand up.

After a moment, he figured it out. The outdoor light at the back door was off. Which should not be the case, as he had installed a motion sensor on the light fixture for times like this. Yet it seemed like that light was not working.

Haruka got to the door, and after a few moments of fiddling with the lock, pushed it open. As she and Naru stepped through the door, the outdoor light came on a moment later, illuminating the walkway, and a shadowed figure standing under a tree who started toward him.

"So you finally show your true colors…" Motoko Aoyama appeared out of the shadows. "And yet you manage to talk your way out of police custody. Well, you won't escape my punishment!" Drawing her bokken from her belt, she swung full force at Keitaro, who started to move away as soon as her draw started.

"What the hell, Aoyama!" Keitaro would have said more, but he was kind of busy dodging the enraged kendoist.

"Just stand still and take your punishment like the perverted letch you are!" Motoko regained her footing after a rapid double slash that barely missed connecting with Keitaro's chest. She was winding up for another attack when suddenly another figure literally leapt out of the shadows in a flying kick, her slippered foot connecting with the swordwoman's head and instantly dropping her

"Nii-chan! Are you all right?" Kanako had landed in a crouch beside the fallen kendoist, and after a quick glance to make sure she was knocked out, looked over at her brother.

"I'm fine, Kana-chan." Keitaro was breathing heavily as the adrenaline rush got to him. "What are you doing here, and dressed like that?" Kanako was wearing a black tank top, black silky running shorts, and ballet type slippers.

"I was studying in my room when I felt a massive hostile chi spike. I came to see what caused it when I saw Aoyama attacking you, so I took her out."

"Is she OK?" Keitaro asked as he looked past his sister and at his aunt, who had come running out of the house at the sound of the fight, and was now on one knee examining Motoko.

"Looks like it." Haruka looked up at the siblings. "What the hell set her off?"

"She was yelling about me getting out of police custody and that I wasn't going to get away from her punishment. What the hell, she thought that *I* did something on the train?" Keitaro asked incredulously.

"Looks like it. I told Kitsune not to mention it to anyone, but Motoko must have found out anyway." Haruka came to her feet.

"What happened? On what train?" Kanako looked from Haruka to Keitaro, storm clouds forming on her face.

Keitaro sighed. Of all the ways to tell his hot-tempered sister, this was nowhere near the top of the list. "Look, let's get Aoyama inside, and I'll tell you everything that happened, OK?"

Kanako gave a reluctant nod, and reached down and grabbed Motoko under her arms. Haruka took hold of her feet and the two started carrying the unconscious kendoist inside the house, Keitaro picking up the dropped bokken and following behind them.

* * *

><p>The first thing that Motoko felt was something cold on her forehead; cold and wet. After a few moments of wondering about the oddity, Motoko was make aware of something else, a low throbbing headache. Which would explain the cold feeling on her head, it was very probably a cold towel compress, one of the ways she would deal with the malady. But try as she might, Motoko could not remember how it was that she got her headache, or remember how she came to be laying down somewhere with a wet cloth on her head.<p>

Opening her eyes, Motoko was forced to blink at the light in the room. The curtains covering the window were open, and even though sunlight was not directly touching her, the reflections off the walls and floor was enough to make her squint.

After a few moments to let her eyes get used to the ambient light in the room, Motoko was finally able to open her eyes and look down at herself and around the room a bit. She blinked repeatedly as she saw that she was laying on a futon in what appeared to be an undecorated room. Even as plain as her room was, there was still various items scattered throughout it. This room looked more like an unoccupied guest room than her own.

Seeing nothing of interest beyond her feet, she looked to the left and saw nothing besides a wooden dresser and a black suitcase against the wall. Motoko then looked to the right and almost violently flinched back.

"Good Morning, Motoko-chan." Tsuruko Aoyama greeted her. Her older sister was kneeling on a folded blanket next to her futon, sitting in perfect seiza without any appearance of discomfort. Dressed in a black business jacket, white blouse, and black pencil skirt, the former heir to the Aoyama clan looked more like a office lady than a master swordswoman. Even her long straight black hair and the widow's peak that formed out of the even fringe that crossed her forehead lent itself to this image. However, the dark brown eyes in that classically beautiful porcelain face were still as piercing as before.

"A-A-Aneue! What are you doing here!" Motoko was more than a little spooked by the appearance of her elder sister. Even though they spoke to each other occasionally on the telephone, they had not seen each other in person for more than a year, when Motoko had gone home for a brief visit. Even when on school vacation, Motoko preferred to stay at the Hinata-sou rather than return to the family compound.

"I was on my way to Tokyo on the train on business when I received a phone call from home. It seems that the management of the Hinata-sou had called to inform the family that there had been a major altercation here, and if possible someone should come as soon as possible to assist you in what is to come. Mother called me and asked that I come here and find out what happened."

"Altercation?" Motoko's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. "Urashima! What lies has that honorless bastard spread!"

Motoko's head fell over and away from her sister, then an abrupt burning pain shot through her cheek. Wide-eyed, Motoko turned back to her sister, who was slowly pulling her hand back to her side after slapping her. She had not hit her with anywhere near her full strength, but the speed and shock of the hit was enough to silence her.

"I would advise you to keep a civil tongue in your head, sister. You are in enough trouble as it is without disrespecting the head of the house you are a guest in! Now, tell me what happened last night that resulted in you attacking Urashima-san." Tsuruko scowled down at her.

Motoko mentally fumbled for a moment before starting to speak. "I was on my way to the dining room for dinner when I heard the phone ring and Konno-san answer it. I overheard her say that Narusegawa-san had been assaulted on the train on the way home from school, and that that bas…" Seeing Tsuruko's eyes narrow, Motoko corrected herself. "…Urashima was in police custody being questioned. I understood that to mean that he had forced himself upon her on the train and that he had been arrested for it. I was waiting to speak to Narusegawa-san once she had returned from the police station when I saw that that… male… was there as well. I took that to mean that for some reason the police had released him and that he had escaped justice. I grew so angry that I drew my bokken to punish him for his misdeeds. That… male… dodged the first couple of attacks, but as I was about to increase my attacks, something hit my head with great force, and presumably knocked me out. That is all I remember."

Tsuruko looked down at her for a long moment before shaking her head in dismay. "You did not hear the full conversation on the telephone, did you, my foolish sister?"

Motoko had a sinking feeling start to form in the pit of her stomach. "No, I did not, but what I heard was sufficient."

"No, it was **nowhere** near sufficient." Tsuruko looked at her in the eyes. "You went and attacked an blameless man for no good reason, and now you will pay the price for it."

"Blameless! The man was in police custody, how can he be innocent!" Motoko's voice rose in disbelief.

Tsuruko's voice stayed low, but had the razored edge of a katana. "The reason that Urashima-san was being questioned by the police, and not in police custody, was because he had seen two armed men accost and kidnap Narusegawa-san from the train with the intent to rape her. He managed to intercept them on the train platform and disable both of them, with the one who was actually holding a weapon on Narusegawa-san sustaining massive damage to his arm and knees. It was because he and Narusegawa-san had to give sworn testimony to the police that they were delayed in being released.. Urashima-san was judged to have been acting within the law when he rescued Naruasegawa-san from those two criminals, who it appears have been involved in several previously unsolved assaults and rapes. You attacked a blameless man while accusing him of the very misdeeds he had saved another from being a victim of!" Tsuruko's voice finally rose slightly, but was still as cutting as before.

Motoko lay there in shock, the words of her sister sinking into her mind and wrapping around her heart like barbed wire. She had attacked someone without legitimate reason, and was now facing the anger of her feared older sister and… wait a moment…

"What price? You said that I had to pay the price?" Motoko asked her sister, dread creeping up in her voice.

Tsuruko looked at Motoko with no expression on her face as she spoke. "Due to the fact that you attacked the manager of this house for no rightful reason, you violated the rules that are a condition of residency. I was called here because you are still a minor and the Urashima are now starting the eviction process to remove you from the Hinata-sou."


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 16

V 1.0

_A/N – This chapter takes place after Motoko gets knocked out by Kanako, but before she wakes up with Tsuruko in her room._

The three Urashima had just come to the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor when Kanako came to a stop. Since she was holding the unconscious Motoko under her shoulders, this cause Haruka, who was holding Motoko's feet, to come to a halt as well as Keitaro who was behind her.

"What is it, Kana-chan?" Keitaro inquired of his younger sister, who looked to be in thought.

"Is it really a good idea to put an unconscious kendoist who just attacked you in a room full of weapons?" Kanako asked, looking down at her burden with a frown.

"Guest room then," Haruka replied, shifting the legs she was holding. Keitaro did not say anything, but passed beside them to be in front of Kanako, then led them to an empty guest room on the other side of Kanako's own room. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open and went in, watching as the two other Urashima carry Motoko in and place her on the futon.

"Haruka, pat her down please, I know she carries weapons concealed," Kanako requested. Haruka raised an eyebrow, but after receiving a nod from Keitaro, knelt down next to Motoko and started running her hands over her clothing, reaching in when she felt something. After a couple of minutes, Haruka had pulled out a _kaiken_ knife from her waistband under her _gi_, two _kunai_ style daggers, one taped to her upper left arm and another taped to her lower right leg, and a miniature tanto style blade tucked into her chest wrappings.

"OK, someone was definitely a Girl Scout," Keitaro cracked. Seeing his two relatives look at him quizzically, he continued, "Be Prepared?" Seeing their expressions not change, he shook his head and changed the subject. "Haru-chan, check her for a concussion again." He tossed her his key ring, which had a miniature flashlight on it. Meanwhile, he picked up the formerly hidden weapons and put them on top of the dresser against the wall, along with the bokken now leaning against it.

After taking Motoko's pulse, looking at her eyes with the light, and checking her nose, ears, and scalp for bleeding or bruising, Haruka looked back up again. "As far as I can tell, she's fine. No signs of internal or external bleeding or bruising, pupils are equal and reactive. She just needs to sleep it off. (1) Hell of a job knocking her out, Kana-chan." The younger sister merely smiled slightly as Haruka tossed the key ring back to Keitaro.

"So the question is what do we do now? She attacked Kei-kun with the intent to do great bodily injury at the very least, maybe even attempted murder." Kanako scowled at the unconscious kendoist.

Keitaro shook his head. "If Aoyama wanted to kill me, she would have used her _katana_ or one of her _ki_ attacks. No, I think she just lost her temper when she saw me and attacked."

Kanako's scowl deepened. "So I take it you don't want to turn her in to the police? She can be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, you know."

Shaking his head again Keitaro replied, "I wasn't really in danger, so I don't want to call the police into this. It would cause too many problems with the Aoyama. Let's keep this one between the families for now." (2)

"Surely you can't be serious? Aoyama was swinging a bokken at you full force, it would have done serious damage if it had connected, nii-chan!" Kanako was looking at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"I'm serious. And don't call me Shirley." Keitaro replied in English. Seeing the joke go high over both their heads, he switched back to Japanese. "Motoko isn't as good as she thinks she is, I would have disarmed her if you had not knocked her out."

"And how much you want to bet that she would have then started using the real weapons she had hidden on her? Were you ready for her to pull one of those _kunai_ and throw it at you?" Kanako demanded. Taking her brother's silence as an answer, she continued. "She's gone too far this time, Kei-kun, this is a major violation of the rules. We can't let this go and maintain credibility with the other tenants."

Keitaro sighed and nodded, his sister had a point. "Speaking of the tenants, did any of them see what happened?" he inquired.

Haruka was the one to shake her head now. "Naru-chan might have, but she's so punchy right now you could dance past her in a tutu and she wouldn't realize it." Smiling slightly at the look on Keitaro's face, she continued. "She was ahead of us when we brought Motoko in, so I guess she's in her room. I'll go check on her right now." Rocking back on her heels, Haruka smoothly came to her feet and moved toward the door. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

After Haruka left, Keitaro and Kanako looked at each for a long moment before she stepped up to him put her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. Sighing, Keitaro wrapped his arms around her as well, feeling her heartbeat against his chest.

"Gods, Keitaro, I was studying when I suddenly felt all this anger, all this hatred. I knew someone was in danger, so I ran outside to see what was going on. Then I saw that bitch attacking you with her bokken, and I just wanted to take her head clean off." Kanako squeezed him a little harder as she spoke.

"So why didn't you?" It was not an idle question; Kanako had had problems with the amount of force she used in spars, and that was when she was not emotional.

"I knew you would not be happy if I did take her out like that. But if she had her _katana_ with her, I would not have held back, Kei-kun. I'm not going to lose you again."

Keitaro sighed again. As bad as it was to hear that his little sister was prepared to kill someone, he was proud that she had made the correct choice in the precious little time she had between seeing what was happening and when she had to make a choice. Turning his head slightly, he gave a kiss to her temple and squeezed her slightly. "You did good, Kana-chan, I'm proud of you."

Kanako purred in response, and stayed close to him until Haruka reentered the room and raised an eyebrow at the display. She did not say anything about it though, instead stating, "Naru's in bed, so are Shinobu and Su, and Kitsune is working on a new story." Seeing that Kanako was not letting go of her brother, she finally asked, "Are you planning on letting him go anytime soon, Kana-chan?"

"No," came the muffled voice from Keitaro's shoulder.

"Well you have to, there's other stuff to do." Haruka held a piece of paper up in the air. "We can't just boot Motoko, we have to do it by the book. Which means we have to notify her family."

Seeing the slip in Haruka's hand, Keitaro reached over and took it. Still feeling Kanako's arms around him, he finally declared, "Cuddle time is over, Kana-chan. Time to go to work." Kanako actually pouted slightly as she let her arms drop from around him, but stayed standing close to him. Looking back at Haruka, he asked, "Phone?" and took the mobile phone she held out to him.

Looking at his wristwatch after dialing the number and holding the mobile to his ear, he saw that it was 10:05 PM. "Never a good thing to make a call late at night," he muttered to himself. Hearing someone on the other end pick up the phone and give the standard greeting, he began to speak. "I'm sorry to call this late, but this is Keitaro Urashima, manager of the Hinata-sou Dormitory. I need to speak to Michiru Aoyama regarding her daughter Motoko." A few more moments passed before he spoke again. "I am sorry to have bothered you at such a late hour, Aoyama-san, but there has been a major disciplinary incident here at the Sou involving Motoko-san. Since she is still a minor, Motoko-san needs an adult family member here with her at the meeting we will be holding to determine her continued tenancy at the Sou." Keitaro fell silent for a few moments again.

"I am sorry to say that Motoko-san misheard a conversation and physically attacked someone some time later as a result." Silence for a few moments. "That person was me, actually, and I had done nothing to warrant an attack on myself." A few more moments passed. "I could go into further detail right now on the phone if you want, but I would prefer to do this face to face if possible."

After a few more moments, Keitaro spoke again. "I see. If you prefer for her to act on your behalf, I do not have a problem with that. You will contact her and let her know what is happening? Very well, we will be expecting her tomorrow morning. Once again, I am sorry that this occurred and that I had to call you so late. Have a good night." Keitaro pulled the mobile away and ended the call, looking up at Haruka's and Kanako's expectant faces.

"Motoko's older sister Tsuruko is on an overnight train to Tokyo right now for family business. Her mother will contact her and let her know what is going on, she should be arriving tomorrow morning. She will be serving as Motoko's family representative in the disciplinary meeting."

Haruka gave a sigh. "Keitaro, Motoko had a falling out with her sister, it's the reason why she moved to Tokyo in the first place. You sure this is a good idea?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Don't have a choice, it's what Motoko's mother wants."

"Oh well." Haruka turned and looked at the still sleeping Motoko. "We going to keep watch on her tonight?"

"Yeah, probably need to. But I don't think I should do it, she sees me first thing when she wakes up she's going to freak out and attack me again." Keitaro did not want to look like he was trying to get out of watch duty, but having another brawl in the middle of the night was not a good idea.

"I'll do it. I don't need to sleep tonight, and I can sit in here and study. She wakes up and gets out of hand, I'll call for help if I need it." Kanako looked like she was looking forward to that though, and would almost certainly not ask for help in dealing with Motoko.

"Leave the door cracked open, and call me if she wakes up, do you understand?" Keitaro was looking sternly at his sister, and she gave a reluctant nod. "Haru-chan, it's time for you to get going, thanks for your help tonight."

Haruka stepped up to Keitaro and gave him a brief hug and kiss on the cheek, noticing the quick look of annoyance flashing though Kanako's face. "No problem, nephew. See you tomorrow morning, Kei-kun, Kana-chan." Turning, she left the room.

Keitaro turned to Kanako and said, "Go ahead and get your books and stuff, take Motoko's weapons with you. I'll hang out at the door until you get back." Kanako nodded and left, leaving Keitaro standing in the doorway and leaning against the frame, looking thoughtfully at his sleeping tenant.

* * *

><p>"Hello, I am looking for Keitaro Urashima. I am Tsuruko Aoyama, Motoko's sister."<p>

The lady standing at the door of the Hinata-sou was obviously Motoko's sister, even without the announcement. Even though she was dressed in female business attire, her long straight black hair and classical porcelain features were almost identical to Motoko's, except for the widow's peak that formed out of the fringe across her forehead. But the most noticeable difference was the expression on her face; while Motoko had a look of anger or distrust on her face most of the time, Tsuruko had a look of inner calm that did not take away from the coiled readiness that was the hallmark of a trained martial artist.

"Good morning Aoyama-san, I am Keitaro Urashima." Giving a deep bow, Keitaro still kept his eyes on her, a fact that she did not fail to notice, as the twitch at the end of her mouth showed. "Please come in, do you need help with your luggage?" Along with a small purse hanging from one shoulder, there was a roller suitcase beside her and a long narrow case slung across her other shoulder of a type that looked very familiar.

"No thank you, I can manage. However, if you can find a place where I can leave my luggage while we speak, it would be appreciated." Following Keitaro into the house, Tsuruko took off her shoes and put on some of the generic house slippers left at the landing inside the doorway for that purpose. Pulling her roller bag to the closet Keitaro had just opened, Tsuruko placed it inside, and without any hesitation took off the sword case she had slung across her back and placed it beside her bag. Stepping back and smiling slightly, Tsuruko watched as Keitaro closed the closet door and turned back to her. "May I offer you some tea, Aoyama-san?" he inquired politely. He had heated a kettle as soon as he had gotten up this morning at 6:00 AM, but the doorbell had rung just before he could pour himself a cup.

Tsuruko's smile widened. "If it is not too much trouble. And please call me Tsuruko."

"If you call me Keitaro as well." The manager gestured to the side. "If you can follow me?"

Keitaro showed Tsuruko to a small room off the living room, but close to the kitchen. The tea room had no furniture except for a low table, as well as some flat cushions to sit on if necessary and the floor was covered in tatami mats. Showing Tsuruko to the guest side of the table, he stepped out for a moment only to return with a tray loaded with cups, tea containers, strainers and spoons, as well as a small kettle of steaming water. Setting the tray on the table, Keitaro quickly set up the table and a short while later the two were sipping on their tea, green for Tsuruko and very strong black for Keitaro.

"I am sorry that I could not do a regular tea ceremony for you, Tsuruko-san. It is an honor to receive you today, even if the occasion for this meeting is not a happy one." Keitaro set down the tea cup and bowed his head slightly toward her.

Tsuruko returned the head bow. "I am not happy my sister has required this meeting in the first place. And this tea is quite tasty, may I ask where you bought it?"

Keitaro smiled slightly. "I am afraid that I don't know the answer to that. My aunt Haruka is the one that supplies the tea from her teahouse business. I can ask her for the name and a tin if you like."

Tsuruko bowed again. "Thank you for your consideration, Keitaro-san."

"May I ask the original reason for your coming to Tokyo today, Tsuruko-san?" Keitaro picked up his cup and sipped at it again.

"There are some businesses that the Aoyama family have a partial interest in here in Tokyo, and every three months or so I come down to look things over. I also visit with some friends from school while I am here before I return to Kyoto." Tsuruko took a sip from her cup.

Keitaro nodded. "Then I truly regret that I had to interrupt your trip today, Tsuruko-san. Unfortunately, there was a major rules violation involving your sister, and that has to be dealt with."

Tsuruko sighed and put her cup down on the table. "What can you tell me about what occurred?"

Keitaro proceeded to give a condensed account of what had happed on the train and then the train platform. When Tsuruko asked about detail of the fight itself, Keitaro described the injuries the two thugs wound up with, and how they sustained them, in a even tone of voice that nonetheless showed some regret.

Keitaro then described how he and Naru had to give their statements to the police at the prefecture station and he called Haruka so as to let her know where they were and what happened. His aunt had come over to the station and once she had gotten the full story, she had called the Sou to let them know that they were going to arrive later that night. Keitaro explained that the phone call was how they presumed Motoko found out about Naru's assault, but that she had only overheard Kisune's side of the conversation and that was how she had gotten the wrong idea about the incident.

Finally, Keitaro recounted how Naru, Haruka and he had arrived home to find Motoko waiting outside for them, and that she had lost her temper upon seeing him and attacked. Tsuruko was surprised to hear that Keitaro had only dodged Motoko's bokken attacks, and had not struck back at her sister. That Kanako was able to take out Motoko completely by surprise and with one attack was a surprise as well, although it should not have been, having heard from Motoko herself how skilled the younger Urashima was.

"…So, given how Motoko-san has previously attacked me, and that she was presented with the revised house rules that forbid physical attacks and signed off on it, there really is not much I can do now. By the house rules, Motoko-san will come before the executive committee of the Hinata-sou, which consists of myself, Kanako-chan, and Haruka-chan. Motoko-san will be given an opportunity to explain herself, and present any mitigating circumstances and to show remorse for her actions. I have to tell you, given what I know of Motoko-san, I doubt she will chose to do so. In that case, we will have no choice but to ask her to leave the Hinata-sou," Keitaro finished up by saying.

Tsuruko stayed silent for a long moment before she spoke. "Keitaro-san, there is nothing I can find at fault in your actions. Motoko-chan's actions alone have brought her to this unfortunate circumstance. In doing so, she has tarnished the reputation of our family, and I feel it will be necessary for the Aoyama clan to make reparations to the Urashima family."

Keitaro stiffened slightly. A family making reparations to another family had all sorts of connotations to it, most of them not pleasant to consider. In the old feudal days, it could involve the offending family giving something of value – money, properties, land – to the family that had been offended. Sometimes it had not been a thing that had been given, but a person, usually in the form of a daughter given in marriage. If things had gotten really nasty, the person that had caused the dishonor had to wipe out the offense with their own blood, usually in the form of _seppuku_, ritual suicide. In modern times, things were not that different, except for somewhat less bloodshed.

The bad part about this was that Keitaro could not just say that there was no need for reparations; for Motoko to be evicted or asked to leave the Sou was by definition very serious. And given the look that was on Tsuruko's face, Keitaro realized that she was aware of this, and that she was as trapped by the situation as he was.

"I believe it may be better if we discuss reparations later, Tsuruko-san. We have to first deal with the disciplinary meeting," Keitaro replied after a moment. There was no way he was going to make a decision on something like this without talking to Haruka and Kanako.

"Very well, Keitaro-san. May I ask when the meeting will be held?" Tsuruko looked down at her tea cup, which was now empty.

"Motoko-san should be waking at any time now. Once she does and if she feels well enough, she will be given time to eat and get ready. I also have to contract my aunt and sister and give them enough time to make it here. So chances are that it will be at noon at the earliest, and probably this afternoon."

Tsukuko nodded in agreement. "And what will the dress code be?" she asked

Keitaro blinked for a moment at the seemingly odd question. This was a formal meeting, not a formal dinner. "I don't understand what you mean, Tsuruko-san."

"I have business attire and a _haori_ (kimono jacket) and _hakama_. I doubt that Motoko has any other clothes besides gi, _haori,_ _hakama_ and school uniforms. Would that be acceptable to wear to the meeting?"

"_Haori_ and _hakama_ would be acceptable, Tsuruko-san." Keitaro's mind was now racing; he had been planning on just wearing a dress shirt and slacks, but now he and the ladies had to dress up as well. Thinking hard, Keitaro could remember coming across some traditional clothing in storage when he had done his inspection tour. He would have to go look as soon as he was done with Tsuruko.

"If you will excuse me, I would like to see my sister and how she is doing. Could you please show me to her room?"

Keitaro carefully rocked back on his heels and came to his feet. Tsuruko came to her feet more gracefully and followed him to the hallway where she retrieved her luggage, leaving the long case in the closet. Following Keitaro down the hallway to the guest room, she watched as he softly tapped on a door that was partial open before opening it all the way and entering.

Walking in behind him, Tsuruko could see that her sister was asleep on a futon. There was another person in the room however, and this one drew Tsuruko's full attention.

A young girl about Motoko's age was sitting at a desk reading what looked to be a textbook while taking notes. But while the girl looked like a normal schoolgirl, the feeling of _chi_ was heavy in the air, and when the girl turned to look at her, Tsuruko could see why. Emotion roiled behind her dark eyes, under tight control, but present nonetheless. Once her gaze fixed on her, Tsuruko could feel a minute spike of hostility, unnoticeable to all but a _chi_ adept like herself. This could be only one person.

"Kanako, this is Tsuruko Aoyama, Motoko's sister. She's going to stay with her until she wakes, so you can go back to your room now." Keitaro turned back to Tsuruko. "Aoyama-san, this is Kanako Urashima, my sister and assistant manager here at the Sou."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kanako-san. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Tsuruko gave a head nod and a smile to the girl who was now standing from her chair.

"It is good to meet you as well, Aoyama-san. You may call me by my given name if you wish." Kanako returned the head nod, but her face stayed expressionless. "If you will excuse me, I have to go get something from my room." Picking up her study materials, Kanako gave another head nod, and walked out the door, moving almost silently.

Keitaro gave a slightly nervous smile and scratched the back of his head. "I hope you were not offended, Tsuruko-san, Kanako has trouble warming up to people."

"It is not a problem, Keitaro-san." Tsuruko placed her bag next to the dresser, then kneeled down next to her sister on the futon. Gently touching her forehead, she sighed and whispered softly, "Little Sister, it has been so long."

Keitaro took a step toward the door. "I'll leave you with your sister now. If you have any questions or need me, my room is down the hall. Please don't hesitate to ask." Tsuruko looked up at him and smiled and nodded. Keitaro smiled back at her before walking out of the room, leaving the two sisters in silence.

* * *

><p><em>1 - concussions - I know that any head injury leading to unconsciousness like the one that Motoko sustained in her attack against Keitaro would mandate a hospital exam and stay, but for the sake of the story I am just having Haruka, the resident medic-type person, check her out and seeing that she was OK.<em>

_2 - police - Japanese culture is very reluctant to get the police involved in disputes unless someone is actually injured, and even then sometimes not until it is serious. They believe that to call the police shows that you have failed in the cultural expectations of acting according to societal norms, especially if it involves dishonorable behavior between families. They tend to want to keep it quiet and settle it by themselves with minimal loss of face/honor. Also, Motoko is still a minor in Japan, and prosecuting her as one would be an entirely new kettle of fish/trouble. _

_A/N 2 – As of 0100 16Sept11, this story has received 44,865 hits, 99 reviews, is on 11 C2 lists, on 180 Favorites lists and has 165 Story Alerts. Thanks again for reading, guys._


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 17

V 1.0

"… _the Urashima are now starting the eviction process to remove you from the Hinata-sou."_

Tsuruko's final words were still ringing in Motoko's ears even a minute after she finished speaking them. How was Motoko to argue? Even if what she had thought she had overheard on the phone was true, that still did not justify a physical assault under the rules of the Sou.

"How are you feeling?" Her sister's question brought her out of her reverie. "Headache, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision?"

"No… except for a slight headache I am feeling well enough." Motoko was surprised to realize that was true as she slowly sat up in her futon, and turned to face her sister.

"Very well, stay on your futon. I shall return shortly." Tsuruko rocked back on her heels before standing and walking out of her room.

Suddenly aware that she was alone in a room that was not her own, Motoko started to look around. It was rather apparent that it was a guest room due to the lack of decoration and extraneous furnishings. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was still wearing her gi and hakama, and that they were rumpled and soiled as though she had been rolling around on the ground. But given that she had been knocked out outside the Sou, that was not much of a surprise, plus apparently she had slept in her clothing as well. Carefully pulling her _gi_ open, she could see that her chest bindings were intact, so apparently the Urashima had carried her into this room last night and let her sleep off her injury without undressing her.

Motoko flushed at the thought of the manager laying his hands on her. There was no other way for her to be here and not outside without him bringing her inside. But there was no overt sign that he had taken advantage of her helpless state. What was there for her to do? It would be a sign of weakness and a dishonor for her to ask if he had taken advantage of her, especially with no proof.

Hearing the door click open, Motoko looked up to see her sister walk into the room carrying a tray full of food, which she deposited on the low table nearby. On it where two bowls of fried rice with egg, two bowls of miso soup, a bowl of sliced pickles, and two large mugs of tea.

"Time to eat, little sister." Tsuruko kneeled down on one side of the table and took one of the bowls of rice and a mug of tea and placed it in front of her. Picking up a set of chopsticks, she waited until Motoko made her way to the table and got her food ready before murmuring _Itadakimasu _(I humbly receive) and starting to eat, Motoko silently joining in.

Once the sisters were done eating, Tsuruko placed her plate and bowl back on the tray and waited for Motoko to do the same. By this time the younger sister was starting to get nervous, as her older sister had not said anything during the meal. Picking up her tea mug, Motoko held it in her hands to help warm them up, as she was feeling a chill go through her.

"You have no idea what you have brought upon yourself, do you?" Tsuruko asked in a conversational tone of voice, almost causing Motoko to give a start. "You attacked the head of this house without provocation, who has been hosting you as a favor to our family. You believe him guilty of what he saved one of the other tenants from becoming victim to. I don't know whether to be shocked or ashamed of how you came to these conclusions. What I do know is I realize it was a mistake to let you come here to Tokyo rather than make you stay at home."

"Let me come to Tokyo?" Motoko asked flatly. After Tsuruko had gotten married two years ago, she had been so upset that her sister had given up being the heir to the family school to get married that she had ceased speaking to her, and did not even start speaking to her brother-in-law. It was devolved into a game of musical rooms, where as soon as her sister or brother-in-law would enter a room, she would find a reason to leave. In situations where she could not leave, like family meals, she would not speak unless spoken to, and even then it would be the bare minimum necessary. It got to the point where a younger cousin had jokingly called her 'the human air conditioner', as a room's temperature would drop five degrees as soon as she came in.

"Yes, let you. You were disrupting the _wa_ (harmony) of the family school so badly that the elders held a meeting to decide what to do about it. It came down to letting you go and study at another location and hope that your anger would pass, or suspend your status as heir and put you though remedial training."

Motoko almost stopped breathing. Remedial training was a polite way of referring to what was realistically punitive status. No matter your previous rank, you were stripped of it and started again from the bottom. Only instead of having to just relearn everything, remedial students had to do twice as much, twice as fast just to keep up. While there was no deliberate physical abuse involved, the amount of physical training and kendo drills you endured at the hands of instructors who were not inclined to be merciful made it seem that way.

"We spoke with Hina Urashima and she agreed to host you here at the Sou, so that hopefully your anger would cool down, but now I see that was too much to ask of her. And now the skills that have been passed down for decades and even centuries to protect those who cannot protect themselves have been used at the hands of an angry petulant little girl."

"Petulant! You abandoned our school for a male! How am I supposed to be happy about that!" Motoko's voice started to rise, but the glare from her sister suddenly cut it back.

"Petulant and ignorant! How do you expect for the Aoyama school to continue? Have you suddenly become Christian and start believing in the spontaneous conception of children? How do you think children come to be, that they grow in a cabbage patch, that they are dropped off by a stork? Someone had to marry to produce the next generation of Aoyama, were you willing to do it? Would you marry a man with the strict understanding that you are doing it just to produce heirs that would be adopted into the Aoyama clan? That all your training to become head of the Aoyama family means nothing if there is no one of Aoyama blood to pass it down to? You know that among the duties that fall to the family is to make sure we have offspring to pass on the school!" Tsuruko was now glaring full force at her sister, who had backed off at the fury now on her face.

"We did what we had to do continue the bloodline of our family, and you act as though I had betrayed it. Should we have asked for your permission before we made you heir? Guess what, little sister, it is time to grow up. I gave up being heir because I wanted to spare you of that duty to your family, and this is how you thank us, by acting as a child who thinks that all men are beasts, by attacking with overwhelming force with the flimsiest of excuses. And by doing so, you have stained the honor of your family by involving another house in your misconceptions." Tsuruko stopped speaking and looked down her hands, whose knuckles were turning white from her grip on her tea mug.

Looking up after a long moment, she continued. "I spoke with Keitaro-san when I went to get our breakfast. It is mid-day now. At 4:00 PM the disciplinary meeting will be held in the tea room of this house. At that meeting it will be determined if you will be asked to leave the Hinata-sou. And after that, I will either escort you home or report to the elders of the situation here and give my recommendation as to your status in the Aoyama School, and what reparations if any the Aoyama need to make to the Urashima." Tsuruko pushed herself back from the table and stood. "I am going to return this tray to the kitchen, then we are to go to your room to prepare for the meeting. Keitaro-san asks that we stay there for now, and I agree. So get ready to go upstairs, I shall return shortly." With that, Tsuruko picked up the tray and walked out of the room, leaving her sister sitting motionless and silent as she considered her sister's words.

* * *

><p><em>Tap tap tap.<em>

Kanako looked up at the sound of someone tapping at her door. It had been barely ten minutes since she left the room that Aoyama was sleeping in, and she was just finished getting dressed in jeans and a t-shirt for the bike ride to school, with her fuku uniform carefully folded and placed in a knapsack. Not that she wanted to leave her beloved Keitaro in the house with that harpy, but with the older sister present, it was less likely that her brother would need to defend himself again. "It's open," Kanako called out.

The door cracked open, and a head with mused black hair and glasses appeared. "Hey there, Kana-chan. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course, Kei-kun." Kanako watched as he entered her room and stood there for a moment watching her, not discomforting her at all. He was the only person that she felt completely comfortable around, that she could trust with anything, and he was aware of it as well.

"I hate to ask this of you Kanako, but can you stay home from school today? I need help with something." Keitaro was rubbing the back of his head, and looking preoccupied.

"Of course Kei-kun, what do you need help with?" Due to her insomnia, Kanako was so far ahead of her class in her studies that she could probably take the end of term exams and pass them with high marks.

"I have to set up the tea room for the disciplinary meeting today, and there are some other things I need to arrange as well. Haruka is working at the Tea House right now, and I need an extra pair of hands."

"It's not a problem Kei-kun, let me change clothes and I'll be right out." Kanako grasped the hem of her white t-shirt and started to pull it up over her head without waiting for Keitaro to leave her room. He was barely able to turn around and start walking for the door without seeing more than the lacy white bra she was wearing under her shirt.

"I'll wait for you outside, Kana-chan," Keitaro called out over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. Closing the door, he leaned up against the wall and softly banged his head against it. Kanako had absolutely no problem disrobing in front of him, using it as a form of both teasing him and trying to seduce him. Granted, Kanako was a very attractive girl, except for the near total emotional control she normally exhibited around everyone except himself. He just could not get past his memories of the crying little girl that his family had taken in, the victim of abuse that had been taken from her birth family. At first young Kanako would flinch at any physical contact with any other person, but soon the girl would get used to and then even seek out the touches and hugs her onii-chan would give her.

Granny Hina had approached his parents about fostering the six year old, then made the arrangements for the adoption once it became apparent that Kanako was happy and eager to stay with them. But even though she got used to being cared for by their parents, it was only with Keitaro that she truly relaxed, even smiling and laughing around him.

However, as she got older, that affection had become an attraction, and after the assault he had rescued her from, a crush that had almost become an obsession. She had sworn to always take care of Keitaro, that her life was now his to do as he would. And Keitaro knew what she meant by 'do with as he would', as she would sneak into his room in the dead of night wearing nothing and try and strip his clothes off. Thankfully he would wake up and stop her before it went farther than that. While he did love Kanako very much, it was not in the way that she would have preferred, much to her regret.

"I'm ready, Kei-kun." Turning his head to the side, Keitaro saw that Kanako was standing outside her door, now dressed in a black tank top and cargo shorts. "What do we need to do first?" she asked as they started walking down the hallway.

"We need to move the table out of the tea room, then set up the tatami mats up for a meeting. Then I have to dig some stuff out of storage. That reminds me, do you have a kimono you can wear?"

Kanako looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "No, the last time I wore a kimono was when I was receiving tea ceremony lessons four years ago. I've grown quite a bit since then."

Keitaro nodded in remembrance. Kanako was actually rather good at doing the highly ritualized tea ceremony, but afterwards, she would go to the training post behind the house and do her best to splinter the weathered piece of oak with her wrapped fists and feet. Kanako claimed that doing the tea ceremony would calm her down too much, and she would need to get her blood pumping again.

"Well, we'll see what we can find when we go digging later." The pair stopped at the tea room door and Keitaro slid the rice paper door open.

"We're going to wear kimono for the meeting?" Kanako asked as she stepped inside the room.

"I was going to just wear normal clothing, but Tsuruko-san mentioned that she had only business clothing and _haori_ and _hakama_ packed for this trip, and that Motoko only had _gi_, _hakama_, and uniforms. So I figured that we have to more or less wear equivalent clothes. I came across some formal clothes a couple weeks ago, and that is what you are going to help me pull from storage."

"Hmm," Kanako noised as she walked over to one side of the table and put her hands under the edge. Waiting until Keitaro took hold of the table on the opposite side, they lifted the table and carefully turned it so the top was vertical, then started walking toward the door.

"Maybe I'll get Haru-chan to take some pictures of us, or we'll get some timer shots of the three of us together all dressed up." Keitaro cracked a grin at his sister.

"Yay," Kanako replied, her voice completely flat.

* * *

><p>"So what is it that you want me to do, Kei-kun?" Haruka asked. It was now 3:00 PM, and Keitaro had called down to the Tea House and asked that she come up to the Sou early, as there were some things they needed to talk about. She had found her nephew and niece in his room talking about some of the things he had seen on his overseas trip.<p>

"Well, first off, we have to talk about Motoko and what we are going to do about her." Keitaro was seated at the low table in his room, an iced coffee beverage at hand. He waved for his aunt to join him and his sister at the table. "I'm not really scared of her, but we can't let her just keep attacking me, she could get lucky one day and crack my head open."

"I think we should ask her to leave. Her personal problems are starting to affect the safety of the tenants of the Sou, and her family were the ones to ask Granny Hina to let her stay here." Kanako replied. After Keitaro had made her assistant manager, she had read the tenant book and was now familiar with all the residents.

"Well, I think that Motoko really need to get her temper under control. You've done well with Naru-san, do you think you could do the same with Motoko-san?" Haruka asked.

Keitaro shrugged. "The reason it went well with Naru-san is because she wanted to change, and she didn't really have anyone else to help her. I don't think that Motoko-san is at that point yet, plus she still has her family to fall back on."

Haruka nodded. "We can't force help on her, but we can offer it. Can we agree on that?" The other two Urashima nodded in agreement, one with less enthusiasm than the other.

"But if we do make the offer, there has to be a stick to go along with the carrot we are offering. What if we do decide to agree that Aoyama attacking Kei-kun is an evictable offense, but we stay that decision. She would be able to stay at the Sou, but another offense would result in an immediate eviction, with no hearing. It would literally by Aoyama's last chance," offered Kanako. She did not want to go through this whole mess again if the kendo girl screwed up her last chance. "And she absolutely has to show remorse for what she has done, she does not deserve another chance otherwise."

Keitaro looked from his sister to his aunt. After a long moment she nodded her agreement. "OK, I can live with that. And all this has to be clarified with both Motoko-san and Tsuruko-san so there are no misunderstandings," Haruka stated.

Kanako nodded her agreement as well. "There is one thing more we have to do. We have to provoke Aoyama to a certain extent."

"What?" Keitaro's eyebrows went up .

"If Aoyama cannot control her temper at least a little, this is all a waste of time and effort. We have to be sure she is willing to work for her last chance." The two woman turned and looked at the only male, who was frowning in thought.

"And who is going to be the bad cop in all this?" Keitaro asked rhetorically.

"Myself, of course. The two of you are too softhearted to pull it off convincingly." Kanako replied matter-of-factly.

The older Urashima looked at each other silently for a moment. Finally, Keitaro said, "I am trying to help Motoko-san, not make things worse. The Aoyama already feel that they owe restitution, we don't want to make things worse, or wind up owing them as well. That means that you can poke her some, but not provoke her to attack us. You do that, it will only make things worse for Motoko-san with her family. You understand that, Kanako?"

"I understand," Kanako agreed.

"That also means that if I say 'enough', that's it. I am trusting you on this, Kana-chan." Changing subjects, he continued, "That only leaves one more thing before the meeting. The dress code." Keitaro turned to Haruka and smiled.

Haruka was getting concerned. When Keitaro smiled like that, and Kanako as well, even if it was one of her thin smirks, it was time to get nervous.

* * *

><p>"You have got to be freaking kidding me."<p>

Haruka was looking down at the garments laid out before her. Keitaro and Kanako had lead her to this storage room to and together they had unpacked some of the clothes stored there. After a few minutes they had three clothing sets spread out on a table and Haruka was shaking her head incredulously.

"What are you complaining about? At least you don't have to wear the full outfit." In front of Haruka was a dark grey silk kimono, with dull white embroidery suggesting falling snow, with an inner cream colored under robe.

"I haven't dressed up like this since I had to go to a formal dinner with Granny Hina years ago." Haruka desperately wanted a cigarette, but she was indoors, and you could not smoke around silk garments like this. "Why are we wearing these again?"

"The Aoyama are wearing _haori_ and _hakama_ to the meeting, we can't be dressed less formally than them, so we pulled these out." Keitaro gestured toward the clothes.

"So why that style kimono for me?" The pattern and coloring of the kimono was one usually worn by men, not women.

"Well, you are my closest advisor, aren't you? You need to dress the part." Keitaro smiled at her.

"And what about Kana-chan?" Haruka gestured toward the white and black material in front of the youngest Urashima.

"She's my _hatamoro_, so she had to dress the part as well." While the term was used for vassals of the shogun, _hatamoto_ were also a samurai lord's most trusted retainer, one that was allowed access to their lord day or night, and were the only non-guard retainers allowed to carry their weapons in close proximity to their lord. Looking over at Kanako, Haruka saw that she was actually smiling openly at being referred to that way by Keitaro, which was the equivalent of most other people jumping up and down cheering.

"So why do you have that one out?" Haruka pointed at a fourth bundle of colorful cloth set off to the side.

"That one is for the last person in our group today." Keitaro explained. A _tap tap tap_ was heard at the door. "And there she is now." Keitaro opened the door to show Shinobu standing there, looking nervous and holding a note in her hand.

"Sempai, you left a note that you wanted to see me as soon as I got home from school?" Shinobu looked nervously from one Urashima to another. This whole day had gone strangely, with Motoko out sick from school and now some odd tension being felt in the Sou.

"Yes, Shinobu-chan. We are going to have a meeting today with Motoko-san and her sister, and I was hoping you can help us out a little." Keitaro smiled encouragingly at the young tenant, who cautiously smiled back.

* * *

><p>Motoko was sitting in her room, trying not to fidget. The time for the meeting was coming up, and she had been ready for the last half hour, waiting for someone to come and summon them to the tea room. Both of the Aoyama were wearing white haori with the Aoyama crest on the left breast, and black hakama, along with tabi socks, as suggested by Tsuruko.<p>

Her sister was sitting in seiza a short distance away, looking as though she was meditating, but still acutely aware of everything around her. Motoko had tried to meditate as well, but she was too anxious to do it correctly. So for the last few minutes, she had been going over in her head everything she and Tsuruko had talked about, especially the one piece of advice she had given her – _If you want to stay here at the Sou, you must show genuine remorse and a desire to work hard to improve yourself. Otherwise, you will be on the next train home with me._

Hearing a soft tapping on the door, Motoko looked up to see her sister already on her feet to open it. Glancing at the alarm clock on her desk, she could see that it was five minutes to four o'clock.

Tsuruko opened the door, revealing a young dark-haired girl wearing a colorful pink and white _yukata_ (light kimono). The girl bowed to Tsuruko and announced in a soft voice, "Good afternoon, Tsuruko-san. I am Shinobu, and I am here to show you and Motoko-sempai to the meeting."

"Good afternoon, Shinobu-chan, we thank you for your assistance." Tsuruko returned the bow and looked back at her sister, who was coming to her feet. Looking again at the girl in front of her, she said, "I must say Shinobu-chan, you look very fetching in that _yukata_."

Shinobu blushed, almost matching the cotton garment. "Thank you, Tsuruko-san." Seeing Motoko standing behind her sister, Shinobu gestured and said, "If you will follow me?" and started walking toward the stairs. The Aoyama sisters followed behind her, down the steps and toward the dining room, coming to a stop in front of a sliding rice paper door. Slowly coming down to her knees, Shinobu scratched at the door frame and softly announced, "Keitaro-sama, the Aoyama are here to see you." Motoko's eyes went wide at the title attached to the manager's name, while Tsuruko did not visibly react.

A male voice came through the thin door, saying, "Show them in, Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu slid the door open and shuffled on her knees to the side so the Aoyama could pass. As soon as they did so, the door was slid shut, with her remaining outside.

As Motoko followed her sister into the traditionally styled tea room, she came to a halt. The table that was normally there was gone, while tatami mats had been folded and set to form places to sit on the floor. There were five places set, with two empty places set in front of the three Urashima, which the two sisters stepped up to before bowing and Tsuruko announcing, "Greetings, Keitaro-sama, from the Aoyama family."

As Motoko slowly dropped to her knees on the mat, her eyes went from one Urashima to the other. They were not dressed in modern clothes, instead they were wearing traditional clothing. Haruka was wearing a dark grey kimono with a dull white snow pattern and a cream under-robe, while Kanako was wearing a black _haori_ coat with the Urashima family crest on the left breast over a cream under-robe and black _hakama_. She could see a bokken laying on the mat beside her.

But it was Keitaro that drew her attention. He was wearing a black _hakama_ with a dark blue _haori_, with a _kataginu_, a sleeveless black jacket with exaggerated shoulders and dual Urashima crests on the front, looking exactly like a samurai retainer in the Shogun's court, except for the fact that he was wearing eyeglasses and had a modern hair cut. All three Urashima were sitting in a row, with Keitaro in the center and slightly higher on the mats that were piled under him, Haruka on his right, and Kanako on his left.

"Good afternoon, Tsuruko-san, Motoko-san. Please don't call me 'sama', I am not the head of the clan yet." The slight smile on Keitaro's face turned into a serious expression. "This disciplinary meeting at the Hinata-sou will now begin."

* * *

><p><em>AN - 110 Reviews, 11 C2s, 202 Favorites, and 185 Alerts. Thanks, everyone._


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N – Sorry for the delay in posting this. I hit writer's block doing this chapter since I was having people do illogical things while they were thinking they were acting logically. After some FB from the pre-readers at TFF, I was able to get the chapter done . So thanks to all the FB'er at TFF, and especially to my pal AZ, who is an expert on writing logical people doing illogical things._

Ch 18

V 1.0

_**Previously on Contract Labor…**_

_As Motoko slowly dropped to her knees on the mat, her eyes went from one Urashima to the other. They were not dressed in modern clothes, instead they were wearing traditional clothing. Haruka was wearing a dark grey kimono with a dull white snow pattern and a cream under-robe, while Kanako was wearing a black haori coat with the Urashima family crest on the left breast over a cream under-robe and black hakama. She could see a bokken laying on the mat beside her._

_But it was Keitaro that drew her attention. He was wearing a black hakama with a dark blue haori, with a kataginu, a sleeveless black jacket with exaggerated shoulders and dual Urashima crests on the front, looking exactly like a samurai retainer in the Shogun's court, except for the fact that he was wearing eyeglasses and had a modern hair cut. All three Urashima were sitting in a row, with Keitaro in the center and slightly higher on the mats that were piled under him, Haruka on his right, and Kanako on his left. _

"_Good afternoon, Tsuruko-san, Motoko-san. Please don't call me 'sama', I am not the head of the clan yet." The slight smile on Keitaro's face turned into a serious expression. "This disciplinary meeting at the Hinata-sou will now begin."_

After a long moment Keitaro continued speaking. "Just to make things official, I would like to introduce those assisting me and what their roles are in this meeting. On my right is my aunt Haruka Urashima, and she is acting in the role of family advisor. On my left is my sister Kanako Urashima, and she is acting the role of assistant manager of the dorm and _hatamoro_." Here Motoko stiffened slightly and Tsuruko nodded slightly; the role of _hatamoro_ meant that Kanako was essentially acting as a trusted bodyguard to Keitaro, which explained the _bokken_ laying on the mat beside her. "And as you know I am Keitaro Urashima, designated clan heir of the Urashima family and the manager of the Hinata-sou dorm. We make up the executive committee of the dorm, and it will be our decision on what if any action will be taken by for disciplinary violations. This decision will be made by majority vote of the committee."

Keitaro now focused his attention on the younger Aoyama sister. "This meeting has been called because there has been a major violation of the Hinata-sou dorm rules by Motoko Aoyama, specifically the rule prohibiting the use of force against other tenants and residents. To make sure everyone is on the same page, I am referring to what happened late last night, as Naru-san, Haruka-san, and I arrived home just before 10:00 PM." Here Keitaro paused for a moment before continuing.

"At that time, when Naru-san and Haruka-san had been walking into the house via the back door, I was following behind them. When I started to walk toward the back door, Motoko-san came out from under the shadows of the trees lining the walkway to the rear door of the house." Keitaro paused again. "Motoko-san, would you like to repeat what you said to me at that time, or would you like me to quote you from my memory?"

Motoko flushed at the request, bur after a moment she complied with the request, speaking in a flat voice. "I said at the time, 'So you finally show your true colors, and yet you manage to talk your way out of police custody. Well, you won't escape my punishment.'"

"Then you drew a bokken you were carrying in your _hakama_ belt and attacked me, correct Motoko-san?" Keitaro asked, his tone even and unemotional.

"You are correct, Urashima-san." Motoko had her eyes cast down in front of her, and her face was still flushed.

"At that time, I said something along the lines of, 'What the hell, Aoyama,' and was dodging your attacks. Then what was it that you said to me, Motoko-san?" Keitaro asked.

"I said, 'Just stand still and take your punishment like the perverted letch you are.'" Motoko did not look up as she spoke.

"And you continued attacking me with your _bokken_, correct Motoko-san?" Keitaro was now looking between the two Aoyama sisters, and while Motoko was looking down at the mat in front of her, Tsuruko was looking straight ahead with a grim expression on her face.

"That is correct, Urashima-san." Motoko confirmed in a flat tone again.

"What happened at that point, Motoko-san?" Keitaro was focused on Motoko again.

"I… do not remember. Everything went dark at that point, and the next thing I knew was when I woke up this morning with my sister beside me." Motoko glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye, and saw that she was staring straight ahead. That was not a good sign at all.

"At this point, I will ask Kanako-san to recount her part in these events. Kanako-san, what were you doing at about 10:00 PM last night?" Keitaro turned to look at his sister.

"I was alone studying in my room. At that time I felt a massive hostile _chi_ spike outside the rear of the house. I quickly went outside to see what was producing it. When I got to the rear door, I saw that Aoyama," everyone except Kanako herself noticed that she had omitted the honorific, "was attacking Keitaro-kun with her _bokken _while he was dodging her strikes. Since I knew that she could cause severe injury if she connected with one of her attacks, I came up behind her and performed a flying crane kick to the head and it knocked her unconscious immediately."

"Was it necessary to use that level of force, Kanako-san?" While Keitaro's question seemed to be condescending on its face, he had previously warned her that he would have to ask it in order for the force used to be justified to the elder Aoyama.

"Yes it was. Aoyama was using a potentially lethal weapon against someone was not armed. I had to stop her as fast as I could, so I compromised with the attack that I did."

"How is a kick to the head a compromise, Kanako-san?" Keitaro knew where this was going, and Kanako did not disappoint.

"I was wearing soft slippers, and I aimed at and hit the side of her head sideways with my foot to knock her out. I could have aimed my strike upwards at the base of her skull where it connects with the back of her neck." And almost certainly have severed her brain stem from her spinal cord and instantly killed Motoko, as everyone in the room was aware.

"You did not hear what Motoko-san was saying?" Keitaro continued with his questioning.

"No. I heard someone yelling while I was running thorough the house to get outside, but I was not able to understand it. By the time I was able to see what was happening, Aoyama had stopped speaking."

"Aoyama-san." Keitaro's voice was soft, but it held a rebuke in it nonetheless.

"My apologies, Keitaro-sama." Kanako shuffled around on her knees and bowed deeply to Keitaro.

"It is not to me that you should be apologizing to, Kanako-chan." Keitaro's voice was still soft.

To her credit, Kanako did not hesitate. She turned back toward the Aoyama and bowed toward them. "My apologies to both of you, Tsuruko-san, Motoko-san. I did not mean to offend." To everyone else, Kanako's voice did not noticeably change from when she was apologizing to her brother, but there was the slightly hint of displeasure that Keitaro was able to make out from having to apologize.

"No offense taken, Kanako-san." Tsuruko replied graciously. Motoko hesitated for a moment before repeating her sister's words, although with less enthusiasm.

"What happened after Motoko-san was knocked out, Kanako-san?" Keitaro resumed the questioning.

"Haruka-san checked to make sure Aoyama-san was not seriously injured, and we carried her into the house. We placed her in one of the guest rooms, removed the other weapons she had on her, and then contacted Aoyama-san's family."

"Other weapons, Kanako-san?" This question came from Tsuruko, which was the first time she had done so.

"At my request, Haruka-san patted down Motoko-san for concealed weapons, since they are not specifically prohibited by the house rules and I knew her to carry them. She found under Motoko-san's clothing a _kaiken_, a _tanto_, and two _kunai_. Since we did not know if she would attack us upon waking, we put her in the guest room and removed all the weapons to another location." Kanako responded.

Tsuruko looked back at her sister, and noticed that while Motoko's face was still red, it appeared to be out of some measure of anger and not embarrassment anymore. Still, she held her tongue as she looked down at the mat before her.

"What else happened when Motoko was placed in the guest room, Kanako-san?" Keitaro asked.

"That was the end of the incident. Since we did not see any serious injury on Aoyama-san, we left her sleeping on the futon, and I stayed in the room overnight and studied so we could make sure she did not take a turn for the worse." _And to make sure she did not get up and attack Keitaro-kun again,_ Kanako left unsaid.

"Since Haruka did not see the fight until it was over and presumably she has nothing new to add," everyone looked over at the older female Urashima and saw her nod in agreement, "it is now Motoko-san's turn to tell us her side of what happened last night." Keitaro stated, and all eyes turned toward the younger Aoyama.

"Motoko-san, what I would like to do is start by asking what you were doing waiting outside the Sou at that hour." Keitaro asked. "I know that normally you go to your room after dinner and don't come out until the next day."

After a moment, Motoko started speaking in a low voice. "I was waiting for Naru-san and Haruka-san to return from the police station. I was feeling upset, and I did not want the other tenants to see me in that condition."

"Why were you waiting to see Naru-san and Haruka-san? Better yet, how did you know that they had been at the police station?" Keitaro queried. Only Kitsune knew of their location that day and had been asked not to spread that information. If she had done so anyway they would have to have a serious talk with the girl.

"I had overheard Kitsune-san on the telephone, and I heard that there had been an incident on the train, Naru-san had been assaulted and that Urashima-san was being questioned by the police at the station. I took that to mean that Urashima-san had been the assaulter and that he had been taken into custody by the police. Kitsune-san stated at dinner that Naru-san, Haruka-san, and Urashima-san had been delayed, and would arrive later that evening. I was waiting outside to speak to Naru-san when all three of them arrived by taxi."

"So you were not expecting to see me there at that time, is that correct?" The young manager asked.

"Yes. I know that when the police question someone in regards to involvement in a crime, they are normally kept in custody afterwards, so I was surprised to see Urashima-san with them. I thought that he had been able to talk his way out of police custody, and when I saw him with the person I believed he had assaulted I grew even more angry," the kendoist replied.

"And at that point you drew your _bokken_ and attacked me, that is correct?" asked Keitaro, his voice even.

"Yes, that is so." Motoko was now looking right at the manager, no expression on her face.

"Did you go and ask Kitsune for any more information regarding what had happened to Naru?"

"No, I did not. I believed that I had enough information and did not feel like I needed to ask for more."

"By this point, Tsuruko-san had explained to you what actually occurred on the train and on the platform, yes?" Keitaro waited until Motoko nodded. "You do realize that by not have complete information, you reached an erroneous conclusion and that conclusion led you to attack me." Motoko nodded again.

Haruka spoke for the first time. "Motoko-san, even if you had been correct in what you believed happened on the train with Naru-san, you were not justified in attacking Keitaro-kun when he arrived home. There was no one in danger at the time of your attack." Motoko did not respond, and merely looked downwards but with her hands clenched into fists.

"Motoko-san, given what we have said and discussed, it is agreed among everyone present that the events that we have been talking about have been correctly described. Given those actions constitute an unjustified use of force, that is a violation of the dorm rules. We now have to decide what the penalty to that violation is." Keitaro stated.

"However, we are going to give you an opportunity to speak for yourself as to why you thought you were justified in your actions. Is there anything you want to say for yourself at this time?" Keitaro asked.

Motoko was silent for a few moments, to the point where everyone there thought she was not going to speak. After almost a minute however, she began to talk.

"I know that I did not grow up in this city, that I had to get used to the different ways that people did things here. But the one thing I could never accept was how men were so perverted.

"Men would be reading perverted books in the open; they would be speaking amongst themselves of the most disgusting acts. And worst of all, I would see men forcing themselves on women who could not defend themselves, while everyone standing around them would look away and do nothing!" At this point Motoko's voice started to rise.

"I am not going to allow men to sate their beastly desires on helpless women if I can help it. I was not allow men to grope at me while whispering their lewd plans to me. I will use all my strength and skill to punish those men who would do such horrific things to women!" By this time Motoko was not quite shouting, and everyone's eyes had gone wide.

"So who is it that you know you have to punish, Aoyama-san? Those people who read dirty books?" Motoko did not answer Kanako's question, instead staring straight ahead with her face red. "Those that touch women on the trains?"

"Yes." Motoko turned to look at Kanako, her eyes glinting harshly.

"Those that act inappropriately or don't take no for an answer?" continued Kanako.

"Yes." Now Motoko's voice was starting to rise again.

"Those who harbor thoughts of a sexual nature, who leer at women passing by?"

"Of course." Motoko was starting to lean forward, and beads of perspiration formed on her face and brow.

"Those that have impulses and attractions to women but don't do anything about it?" Kanako had turned so she was facing Motoko straight on.

"They will act on those impulses, they will lose control. And I will be waiting for them." The glint in Motoko's eyes was getting brighter.

"And how will you know who has those thoughts, Aoyama-san? How can you see the darkness that is in people's hearts?"

"They will reveal themselves by their actions. They all need to be punished." Motoko's voice carried the absolute belief of her thoughts.

At that point Kanako looked over at her other family members. Haruka had a look of sadness on her face, and Keitaro was shaking his head minutely. And on the other side of Motoko, Tsuruko's expression had gone from grim to expressionless, with a hint of coldness.

After a moment Keitaro began to speak again. "Motoko-san, is that all you have to say on the matter?" She nodded in agreement. "Then we must proceed to the final part of this meeting, the decision on punishment." Keitaro looked at Kanako and then Haruka. Both of them shook their head slightly in one of the signals previously agreed to; there would be no lessening of the punishment to be given.

"Unfortunately, there is no question as to if the events actually took place. Therefore, this committee sustains the initial determination that a major rules violation has taken place. Since Motoko-san had not showing any remorse regarding the incident, there will be no mitigation of the punishment." Here Motoko looked up and started to stare at Keitaro.

"Motoko Aoyama-san, you have been found at fault of a major violation of the dorm rules, the use of force against another resident without justification. The penalty for this violation is being asked to leave the Hinata-sou dorm and we are doing so now. You have until tomorrow to assemble your things and prepare them for shipping before you must leave. Do you understand?"

"No." Motoko's response was not the one they were expecting. "I do not concede that I am at fault for this. As a matter of fact, I believe this to be all the manager's fault." Motoko's stare had not broken away from Keitaro. "Ever since he has arrived, our life has changed, and not for the better. Room inspections, changing the use of the hot springs from women only to mixed bathing, getting into fights with Naru-san, probably after peeping and groping her, and now this? Making me leave so that I can no longer protect my fellow tenants? I refuse!" Motoko's voice had risen again.

"Motoko-san, you don't have a choice. By the house rules we can ask you to leave if it is determined that a major rule has been violated." Haruka was starting to look concerned at what was occurring. Tsuruko was now focusing on her younger sister with a laser-like intensity.

"I have a choice, and I am going to exercise it." Motoko rocked back on her legs and stood up, staying in the same spot and looking down at the manager. Kanako copied her actions and sprung to her feet as well, only she was holding her _bokken_ in her off hand. Keitaro stayed seated, looking at the kendoist calmly.

"Keitaro Urashima, you have intruded on our lives and questioned my honor. I therefore challenge you to a honor duel to make these things right. Whoever loses will be required to leave the Hinata-sou permanently."

* * *

><p><em>SLAM!<em>

The door to Motoko's room had barely clicked shut when Tsuruko grabbed Motoko by her _haori _coat and slammed her into the wall so hard her teeth rattled. Her face was mere inches away from her own, and it almost looked as though her eyes were gleaming red.

"What in the nine hells did you think you were doing?" Tsuruko was not shouting; in fact her voice was barely above a whisper. But the intensity contained in it was more frightening than a shout would have been. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Motoko stared back at her sister, not flinching at the glare she was receiving. "I am defending the honor of the tenants of this house and of myself. I will not let that male run roughshod over…"

Tsuruko cut her off. "Let? LET? Urashima-san is the manager and heir of this household, it is his to do as he pleases! Do you really think that he would be so dishonorable as to force himself on helpless females?"

"He is a male." As short as Motoko's response was, the tone it was spoken in showed what she thought of the manager.

"You stupid little girl… you really have no idea what you have done, do you?" Tsuruko's grip lessened slightly, but she still stood close to her sister. "You refused to follow the rules of this household that both you and our family have agreed to. And when you violated those rules, instead of admitting your error and accepting the punishment, you instead make things ten times worse!

"I should have pulled you out of this house the moment you woke up, but I thought you were intelligent enough follow my lead and help smooth over the wrong you did to the Urashima. I was wrong, and now there is no way out of this situation but forward. If I pull you out of this place after you made that idiotic demand for a duel, the Aoyama will still be left as the offending party, and worse yet it will be seen as a forfeiture of the duel. We will wind up owing more restitution than before!" Tsuruko growled.

"Restitution? Why would we have to give restitution to that dishonorable…"

"Shut your mouth! You don't even realize how badly you have dishonored *our* family by what you had done! If I had had an inkling of what you were going to do today, I would have dragged you out of this house by the hair!" the elder sister snarled.

"You have directly insulted the heir of a noble samurai house, one that is of a higher standing than us! If we were in feudal times, you would not even be allowed to commit _seppuku_, you would be given over to the Urashima as a nameless slave in irons, to do with as they wish!" Tsuruko pushed herself away from Motoko, who was looking wide-eyed at what her sister was saying.

Tsuruko stormed over to the dresser and picked up her mobile phone that was laying there. Turning back to her sister, she ordered in a cold voice, "I am going outside to call our family. You will stay here in this room and you will not leave for *anything*, not even if the bloody place is on fire! If by some miracle they summon you to dinner, say you are not hungry. You are not to let anyone beside me into this room, and you will tell no one else what is happening, or by the gods remedial training will be the least of your concerns!" Opening the door, Tsuruko stepped though and somehow managed not to slam it shut, leaving Motoko slumped against the wall.

* * *

><p>"By the gods, Keitaro, what were you thinking?" The door had barely closed to his room when Haruka wheeled around and faced her nephew. "How could you accept that ludicrous demand for a duel?"<p>

"He did not have a choice, Haruka." Kanako jumped in to answer before Keitaro did. "Aoyama was insulting him and our family openly, and in front of her sister. If he did not respond, it would make us lose massive face with the Aoyama, and remember, Aoyama was the one doing wrong in this case and they know it too."

"What do you think would have happened if I had refused, Haruka-chan?" Keitaro asked, looking over at his aunt with a tired expression on his face. "They would have probably yanked her out of the dorm, taken her home, and completely strip her of status in her family's school. And that is if she was lucky. You know what the traditional punishment would have been."

Haruka managed not to shudder. It had not been unknown for a samurai family to completely disown female offenders and sell them into prostitution. In modern times, a disowned female with no way to support herself would probably wind up in the sex trade anyway.

Keitaro continued speaking. "The only way that Motoko-san is not going to be tossed out of her family now is if she gives a decent showing at the duel. If her family thinks that she's been punished enough in the duel, they will probably just bring her home, bust her down and be done with it."

"Punished enough in the duel?" Haruka asked, not liking the sound of that.

"I can't go easy on her, I can't let her win, it would dishonor both her family and ours. I have to fight her seriously, and you know how our sword style is. She is not going to come out of it unscathed." Keitaro replied, undoing the ties of his traditional clothing and starting to remove them, showing that he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts under them.

Haruka nodded in response. While most people were familiar with the traditional form of swordfighting known as _kendo_, the Urashima style was based on the sword fighting techniques used in actual combat. The Aoyama style was more _kenjitsu_, a realistic form of sword fighting that used solid _bokken_ and no armor, rather than kendo, which used _shinai_ made out of bamboo slats and protective armor. However, the Urashima style would be classified as _battojutsu_, realistic sword combat techniques. Both armed and unarmed fighting methods were studied and used, as well as having a more practical view of combat than the formalized _kenjitsu_.

"Kanako, you don't think that you were pushing Motoko-san too far?" The younger Urashima looked startled as she turned toward her brother.

"I didn't! I just wanted to see what she thought about her actions. I had no idea she was going to get like she did, but I couldn't exactly let it go, could I? I had to see if she would at least say if she would do anything different, but instead she got worse, and I could not help that. It was not as though I was being provocative." Kanako was looking wide-eyed at her brother, concerned that he would think that she had gone against his directions.

Keitaro looked at her for a moment and then away. "You're right. I would have stopped you if you had been out of line. I didn't think that Motoko-san would get so worked up by that line of questioning, and that may be the reason she demanded the duel at the end. So in the end it's my fault all this happened."

"Nii-chan!" Kanako grabbed Keitaro by the shoulders and stood face to face with him. "Aoyama has problems of her own, you are not responsible for them. You are responsible only for yourself and your family, do not take on more than you have to. She brought this on herself, and given the way she acts, she probably would have done the same thing anyway. This is not your fault!"

"She's right, Kei-kun. You can't control Motoko, hell, she can barely control herself. Don't blame yourself for something you could not prevent." Haruka walked over and put her hand next to Kanako's on top of Keitaro's shoulder.

After a moment Keitaro nodded. "I understand. Can't help feeling this way though." Gently pulling away, Keitaro walked over to his futon and dropped down to it, laying back on his pillow. Looking up at the two females in his life he said, "I have the feeling that Tsuruko-san is going to not want Motoko-san out of her room, so could you go and ask Shinobu-chan to make a tray for the two of them and take it up to their room, Kana-chan? And Haru-chan, try and find Tsuruko-san and settle the terms for the duel. Since I'm the challenged party, I can set terms." Haruka and Kanako nodded.

"Tell her the duel will be the day after tomorrow, at the stream behind the Annex, the weapons will be _bokken_, no crippling attacks, and it will go on until honor is satisfied, or the other opponent is unable to fight or unconscious. That should keep things from getting too out of hand."

"Seconds?" Kanako asked. "And the weapons they will carry?

"You're my second, there is no one else beside Haru-chan or Granny I would want to watch my back, and Haruka is going to referee the fight." Kanako almost glowed from the praise from her brother. "And I hate to say it, but the seconds will carry both _bokken_ and live blades. I know that Tsuruko has one with her."

"Umm… do you have a live blade we can use, Keitaro-kun?" Haruka knew that her nephew had trained with actual swords, but she did not think he owned one.

"I can get my hands on one. I came across it at the same time I found the formal clothes." Keitaro was now looking up at the ceiling, his hands clasped behind his head.

Haruka's eyes widened. "You're talking about the Hina honor blade, aren't you?"

Keitaro nodded. "The _Juuchi Yosamu_. The Ten Thousand Cold Nights sword."

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – Story stats as of 1100 02Oct2011 – 55,821 Hits, 126 Reviews, 13 C2 listings, 220 Favorite listings, and 207 Story Alerts._


	19. Chapter 19

Ch 19

_*clack clack clack clack CLACK*_

_*clack clack clack CLACK clack clack CLACK*_

_*clack CLACK clack clack CLACK clack clack clack clack CLACK*_

"Hold it." Stepping back, Keitaro wiped the sweat from his brow with his off hand as he held a _suburito_ _bokken_. Across from him was Kanako, holding a regular _bokken_ at a low ready position. Sweat droplets dotted her brow but otherwise his sister did not look like she had just practicing with him for two hours straight. "Seriously, Kana-chan, relax, drink some water."

Kanako's bokken flipped up and back so it was laying backwards along her arm. Catching the water bottle her brother had tossed her, she cracked it open and took a long pull, watching as he did the same. Feeling the thirst she had worked up, she drained the bottle and tossed the empty next to the still full bottles laying on the ground off to the side.

"You know Kana-chan, you're probably better at this than I am at this point. I haven't been able to get the same amount of practice that you have the last couple years." Keitaro smiled at his sister.

The younger Urashima blushed. "You flatter me too much, Kei-kun." While Kanako was faster with her strikes, Keitaro was stronger and more accurate. They had been doing sword drills since they had come out behind the house after breakfast this morning. After some stretching, they had done some _kata_, then some light sparing, then the heavy contact drills. In their case, it was Kanako striking as fast as she could with her _bokken_, while Keitaro blocked and tried to counter-attack at the same time. Kanako occasionally got a strike through his guard, leaving welts on his arms and shoulders, but he gave as good as he got, occasionally leaving welts on her as well. His attacks were handicapped by the _suburito bokken_ he was using, but the weighted practice sword increased his strength and coordination. Being able to block his sister's faster attacks that way would train him for what he would face in the upcoming duel tomorrow morning.

"I think what we need to do next is some hand to hand practice. We need to kick it up a notch from our usual spars though," Keitaro stated. Kanako nodded, abet reluctantly. While their morning training was not anything near easy, they were not trying to hurt each other either. "Since I don't want you to kick my head off, no high foot strikes, OK?" Keitaro grinned at her. "I don't think Motoko-san is much of a high kicker anyway."

Kanako nodded again as she got into a ready position. Now that she thought about it, Motoko seem to be the type of person that would concentrate mostly on the swordfighting techniques of her school and not much else. That thought brought her to a halt. "Keitaro, I just thought of something. How much unarmed training would a kendoist have? Especially someone like Motoko-san?"

Keitaro paused then straightened up out of his stance as well. "Most kendo and _kenjitsu_ schools teach some _aikido_ and _jujitsu_, for weapon retention if nothing else. So you have to maintain some proficiency when you practice a school's techniques. I would think that you have to at least reach _dan_ rank in unarmed techniques if you are a serious student."

"Yes, but how well do you think Motoko-san is at unarmed fighting? Especially since she has been training away from her family?" Kanako asked.

"Well, she has been training with the school kendo team… actually, that makes it worse, wouldn't it?" Keitaro asked in surprise. "They train for interschool competition, and they aren't going to start grappling and throwing each other if they break or lose their swords. That is why you brought this up, isn't it? You think this is Motoko-san's Achilles' heel."

"Well, it's something to seriously consider. You left a lot of leeway when you set this duel as you did. As long as you don't use crippling attacks, you could use any technique. But that leaves you open to her _ki_ attacks as well."

"Yeah, but I don't think Motoko-san is used to doing her _ki_ attacks at touch range, or if she's been disarmed… oh bloody hell." Keitaro tilted his head back so he was looking skyward. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong?" Kanako was puzzled now at her brother's reaction.

"Why does Motoko-san insist on being armed? And I don't mean because she probably sees herself as a samurai reborn?" Keitaro kept his eyes looking up.

"Because she thinks she will see something perverted happening, and she will need her weapon to… oh, hell, I believe I know what you are thinking. Motoko can only attack with a weapon, either _ki_ or physical." Kanako was shaking her head at the revelation.

"We're just guessing here, Kana-chan. For all we know Motoko-san is a fifth _dan_ jujitsu practitioner." Keitaro cautioned his sister.

"Yes, but what are the chances of that? Motoko-san's whole mental image of herself is a swordswoman, she does not want to dirty herself by rolling around on the ground with some perverted male," replied Kanako.

"Perhaps. In any case, I need to get some hand to hand practice, so if you will start, little sister?" Keitaro dropped back into his unarmed ready stance.

Kanako, not happy at being called 'little sister', decided to get things going by chambering and firing off a high side foot strike aimed to the side of Keitaro's head, only for him to slide back and start to circle her. "Not nice, dear sister." He called out to her,

Growling, Kanako was more than a little tempted to do a full out blitz on her teasing brother, but she decided to do what she was here for and help get him ready for his fight. Instead, she went into a low ready stance, her fists flashing out and Keitaro beginning to deflect, dodge, and counterattack.

* * *

><p>Motoko was in the meadow in the grove behind the Hinata-sou, sitting in the lotus position. Eyes closed, her breathing at about 10 respirations per minute, she could hear the slow beat of her heart, the sound of the water trickling in the creek behind her, the breeze whistling through the trees around her. This was as close to peacefulness that she was able to reach in a meditative state, yet serenity escaped her.<p>

_Why, why, why does he affect me so? _Was the question that kept being whispered in her mind. _What is it about this male that makes me lose control?_

It was not just the manager's behavior. As much as he found himself in questionable circumstances, such when he grabbed onto Shinobu-chan to keep her from falling from the stepladder, or when he had been inspecting the hole in his room's ceiling that led to him looking into Naru-san's room and seeing her in her underwear, such incidents were explainable. However, the number of incidents that had occurred, and the fact that he had been changing the rules of the Sou to make it safe and accessible to both genders made him look more suspicious. Yet that alone did not justify her attack on him a couple of nights ago.

"_So you're ready to have this guy's babies because of something that happened a few hundred years ago?"_ Kitsune's voice echoed through her memory, causing her to blush slightly. Yes, the manager was not unpleasant to look at. The fact that he was the descendant of a family with a distinguished and noble background was not to be ignored. As a matter of fact, if it was not for the fact that anyone that she would marry would either have to give up their family name and take on hers instead, or that any children that they would have would have to take on the Aoyama name, the manager would have been an excellent candidate for marriage. However, given that he was the only marriageable male left to carry on his family name, that was very unlikely.

"_Look Motoko, this guy may be the modern day equivalent of a samurai warrior…" _Naru's voice was now the one that echoed in her mind. It was not something that she could deny either. When she has seen the manager wearing _haori, hakama,_ and _kataginu_, it was as though he had stepped out of a historical film. The only thing that had detracted from his appearing as a feudal lord was the glasses he wore. Even though his hair was not worn pulled back with the crown shaved in the way of historical samurai, his appearance and calm demeanor made him seem more like the masters of the various martial arts schools she had met throughout the years than a young _ronin_ looking to enter the most prestigious of the nation's universities.

Was it his age? The manager was only three years older than she was, but it was as though he had an old soul, that he had experienced things that most other people had not. The manager was calm and polite to a fault, but you could see through his actions that he was wary of his surroundings and other people. His practice of always keeping his eyes up and aware while bowing, his tendency to never stand in front of or in a doorway and therefore make himself vulnerable to attack. His habit of always keeping his eyes moving from one person to another, even if he was talking to only one person. His instinctive reaction to hostility; when she had been waiting for Haruka and Naru to arrive back at the Sou the night the younger girl had been attacked, the manager had visibly tensed and then looked right at her, no matter than she had been under the shade of a tree in an unlit area of the back yard.

Or maybe it was his uncommon calmness? Motoko had spend almost all of her life around martial artists, and Keitaro was more in common with the more senior members than with the younger ones. She had started training in her family school almost from the moment she started to walk, while the manager had been training in his family style on and off through his childhood and adolescent, yet it was as though he was the master and she was the student.

"_The manager does an acceptable job in controlling his emotions, at least to the point where I normally don't detect the chi he produces, but his sister is another story."_ Her own words replayed in her mind. Both of the Urashima were uncommon in their emotional control. The manager was almost a null as a result of his control, which was fairly unusual. A null was someone that didn't broadcast emotions and the resulting _chi_ that was tied to them. It was been the desired state of being for many martial arts schools as it allowed for concealing intent in a fight, yet someone that appeared to be a bookish student was an adept at it.

The manager's sister was almost the opposite; her emotions were under tight control, yet it would be felt regardless. It was something that Motoko was not at all eager to face again, as the encounter she had with the assistant manager had not turned out well for her, when she had distracted and disarmed her of her _tanto_ in the hallway.

"_You do not want to get a Urashima very angry with you when you fight them, you will not escape unscathed."_ Her sister's voice drifted through her thoughts. What she had seen and heard of the Urashima fighting techniques was rather awe-inspiring, even if it had not been apparent at times. Of course the first time she had seen a Urashima fight was when Granny Hina mopped the dojo floor with the advanced students at the family school. Her sister had mentioned that it would give her serious pause to have to fight against the Urashima matriarch, and given that Tsuruko was a master in the family style, that was no small praise.

The next Urashima she had seen fight had been the manager when he first arrived at the Sou. Even unarmed, he was able to improvise a weapon and disarm her of her own sword before knocking her out. The fight had lasted less than a minute from start to finish, and this was with him dodging her _ki_ attacks. It would have been humbling if it had not been so infuriating that a partially unclad unarmed male had been able to defeat her while she was armed with a live blade and _ki_ attacks.

And the last Urashima she had not even seen fighting, yet she had affected her the most. The assistant manager was able to dominate her in the hallway, even though she was unarmed, with just sheer force of will. And the other time the assistant manager had dealt with her she had not even seen or felt her coming before she had knocked her out.

How was it that those two had affected her so badly? Why was it that her anger had grown into fury when she had seen the manager come out of the taxi that night? Why had her temper spun out of control when they were judging her during the disciplinary meeting?

In her mind's eyes she visualized the younger Urashima, the male with his calm mien and amiable personality, the female with her aura of coolness and intensity. How the two always interacted without pause or misunderstanding, with a trust and confidence in each other that she had never encountered before, especially with people as young as they were.

Even before she had her falling out with her older sister, Motoko had not had that kind of relationship with Tsuruko. She had admired her sister, strived to become as good as her sister, but that awe had become a fear that she would never become as good as her aneue. The fear had only twisted and morphed into anger when it was announced that Tsuruko was giving up being the heir of the family to get married to a male from outside their martial arts community, and that the heirship would now pass onto her.

Fear. Anger. Jealousy. Were these the themes that kept coming up in her life? The emotions that had lead to her estrangement with her formerly beloved older sister? The feelings that lead her to view all males as perverts, waiting only for an appearance of weakness to take advantage while others shamefully looked away? The reaction to seeing the manager and his sister perform a mirrored _kata_, moving in harmony without a word? The feelings that made her think that no matter how hard she worked at her art, she would not be able to match those around her? Was it the culmination of these feelings that had produced an inferno of rage, having to sit there and listen to her actions be second-guessed, to criticize her intentions, to have her sister sit beside her and not come to her defense? The cold sensation of being on her own, with little to show for her years of training and study?

Duty, honor and service were words that the Aoyama were to live by. By protecting those who could not protect themselves, they served. By following a code of conduct they maintained honor. By doing what needed to be done they fulfilled duty. And yet, with all that had happened to her, she had always held in her heart that she was doing the right thing, that she was protecting the helpless. To lose that belief was something that would leave her adrift in this cold and amoral world, truly a _ronin_, one cast upon the waves.

Given what had happened at the disciplinary meeting, and the confrontation she had with her sister afterwards, Motoko could feel her life spinning out of control. Perhaps it was her destiny to wind up alone. But she would fight to maintain her beliefs and personal honor, in a world where there was otherwise little that attracted her to it.

Feeling a minute spike of _chi_, Motoko opened her eyes and looked up at the person standing before a short distance away. Tsuruko was looking at her with no expression on her face, holding a _bokken_ in each hand. Her older sister studied her face for a long moment before stepping toward her, stopping within arm's reach as she came to her feet.

Reversing the _bokken_ in her left hand, Tsuruko extended it to her younger sister, who took it and held it loosely and pointed downwards. Taking a step back, Tsuruko raised her _bokken_ to the ready, and Motoko followed suit.

"There is not much time left. We will go through all the forms first then do some sparring. I will make corrections if they are needed." That was as close as Tsuruko was able to get to saying that she wanted her sister to do her best. And for now, that was enough for Motoko.

* * *

><p>"Do we really need to do this outside? We would be a lot more comfortable if we were in my room, or even in the storage area."<p>

"Tsuruko and Motoko are too sensitive to _chi_ to not notice what we are doing, Kei-kun. Last thing we want is to scare the crap out of them when we break the seals on this." Haruka gestured toward the long narrow box the manager had carried outside into the grove of trees behind the Sou. Kanako followed behind them, carrying a powerful lantern and a shoulder bag filled with items them may or may not need tonight. It was after dinner and the sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving a twilight that allowed them to walk around the trees, but that would not last for long.

After a couple minutes of walking, the Urashima came to a halt at a large waist-high boulder laying on the ground among the trees. Carefully putting down the box on the semi-flat top of the boulder, Keitaro waited for Kanako and Haruka to stand on either side of him before he pulled out a tactical folder knife and started to cut through the _ofuda_ talismans that were all over the box keeping it sealed shut.

"If stuff starts to go weird, I want you guys to run, OK? Last thing I want is for the sword to hurt you." Keitaro could see the protest forming on Kanako's face and cut her off. "I'm serious, Kana-chan. I know how to handle the sword, if I lose control of it, there is nothing you will be able to do. Just run and get Tsuruko's help." Seeing his sister reluctantly nod, Keitaro continued cutting the seals.

After two of the seven seals were cut through, a faint hum started to be heard. "Kana-chan, get the replacement ofuda ready in case we have to have to slap them on fast." Kanako nodded and pulled out a short stack of hand-lettered paper slips, while Haruka held the lantern over the sword case, illuminating it better as the sunlight faded.

As the fifth seal was cut, the hum was starting to sound like an electrical transformer under load. Finally, as the seventh seal was broken, the box shuddered for a few moments before the hum dropped down to an barely audible level. Keitaro glanced back at Kanako and Haruka and saw they were ready before he looked back at the case and carefully opened the lid.

Laying on a lining of faded red silk was a sheathed _katana_ sword, almost a meter long. The handle was covered in black sharkskin with dark blue silk cord wrapped around it in a cross-hatchet pattern. The sheath was lacquered black, however there were cracks throughout the surface of the lacquer, showing the dark red wood below it, looking more than a little like dried blood. A rounded plain black metal _tsuba_ guard was flush against the sheath, leaving no part of the blade itself visible.

Cautiously, Keitaro grasped the sheath of the sword with his left hand and lifted it out of the case. The hum that was obviously coming from the sword maintained its current volume as Keitaro held it and carefully took hold of the handle and started to draw the blade from its sheath.

Slowly, dark gleaming metal appeared as the sword was drawn, flecked with shiny white specks across the length of the blade. Once the blade was clear of the sheath, the Urashima all looked closely at it, seeing that there was no corrosion or tarnish on the metal, and except for some minor nicks and scratches, the sword appeared to be in excellent condition.

"How long has the sword been sealed?" Kanako asked in a hushed voice. Given the low hum the blade was producing, and the cold feeling _chi_ it was emitting, it was understandable why she was wary of it.

"Ever since Granny Hina became clan head. The Hina blade is used in the induction ceremony." Haruka replied, placing the lantern next to the empty box. "So about fifty years now."

The two females watched as Keitaro took a step back and brought the katana to the present position, the blade held vertically in front of his face. Closing his eyes and tilting his head forward for a moment, Keitaro looked up and fixed his gaze on his sister. "Kanako, please step forward."

Once his sister was standing in front of him, Keitaro began to speak. "Know all present that this is the Urashima family sword, also known as the Hina Demon blade, the Blood Drinking sword, and it's original name, the _Juuchi Yosamu_, the Ten Thousand Cold Nights sword, so called because of the blade looking like the winter night sky. This is the sword that changed the fortunes of the Urashima family, starting with Taro Urashima, the lowly warrior and scholar that gave his life to protect the Tokugawa Shogun almost four hundred years ago, using only his bare hands against armed traitors and assassins and finally his own body to stop this very sword. Beyond titles, lands, and money, this sword is proof of our family's honor, and it is both a sign of our courage and our selflessness. As Taro-sama lay dying in front of the Shogun, he was offered any boon that his lord could give, and he only asked that his family be taken care of, and that they be told of his actions so as to teach them how a warrior should live his life and lay it down when need be. The Shogun so swore, and starting with Taro's ten year old son, the Urashima were promoted to the rank of Lord, and became _hatamoto_ to the Shogun, serving faithfully until the end of the feudal era. Even now, this sword represents the honor, courage, and selflessness of our family. May those values never be forgotten."

Keitaro looked at Kanako as he lowered the sword so it was pointing off to the left of his sister. Haruka came to his side, and moving quickly made a small cut on the palm of his left hand with a small knife. As the blood began to flow, he held his hand over the blade, and as soon as the droplets of blood hit the blade, they hissed as though the metal was heated, and then surprisingly the drops were absorbed into the blade, which then gave a quick pulse of _chi_. After a moment, Haruka quickly applied a small bandage to the cut, and then moved over to Kanako's side. Keitaro then asked, "Kanako please hold out your left hand."

As Kanako did so, Haruka came up beside her, and with Kanako carefully staying still, Haruka made a small cut on the palm of her hand and moved it over so that it dripped droplets of blood onto the darkened blade, which were absorbed as well as producing another pulse of _chi_. After her hand was bandaged, Keitaro continued speaking. "The _Juuchi Yosamu_ chooses who it serves, and it does do by tasting their blood. Should the spirit of the sword not agree to serve you and you try to forcibly do so anyway, madness and death of the wielder will result. By producing that burst of _chi_, the sword has shown that it will serve you. However, you must keep in mind that the _Juuchi Yosamu_ is a bloodthirsty sword, and should you lose control of yourself while wielding it, death and destruction will result."

Keitaro now turned the sword so it was horizontal but held between the two of them. Seeing that he was presenting the sword to her, Kanako took hold of it as Keitaro released his grip on it. "You are now the _hatamoro_ of the Urashima clan, Kanako. May you serve with honor and courage." Here Keitaro stopped speak and smiled at his sister. "Congraulations, Kana-chan."

Kanako smiled and would have rushed forward to hug Keitaro, but she was aware she was holding a bared sword in hand. Taking the sheath that Haruka passed her, Kanako quickly covered the blade before passing it to Haruka and then springing forward and hugging Keitaro tightly.

"A couple more things, Kana-chan." She pulled back so she was looking at his face, but left her arms around him. "One is that the _Juuchi Yosamu _cannot be sheathed unless it has been given blood to drink. The ceremony we just did qualifies, but otherwise you are going to have to nick yourself." Kanako nodded her understanding. "The other thing is that you are not to cut yourself with the _Juuchi Yosamu_, use another blade or even bite a finger if you have to. If you cut yourself with the sword, it gives the spirit in the blade the chance to take you over. So I suggest you give it some blood when you first draw it, as to appease the spirit. Otherwise, the longer the fight and the more emotional you get, the more you lose yourself to the spirit in the blade. Hopefully you never have to draw the sword for real, little sister." Kanako nodded her understanding and laid her head on his shoulder.

Looking over Kanako, Keitaro addressed his aunt. "Haru-chan, would you tie a couple of _ofuda_ around the sheath near the top and wrap it with that length of black silk in the bag? It should help suppress the _chi_ the sword gives off, so it doesn't spook the Aoyama." Haruka gave a nod and started to do as he asked, as Keitaro and Kanako standing in each other's arms, his sister enjoying the warmth their closeness was producing.

* * *

><p><em>AN - As of 10Oct11 0500 PDT this story has 63,062 hits, 151 Reviews, 16 C2 listings, 245 Favorite listings, and 228 Alerts. The last chapter received 25 reviews, the most for any chapter in this story. Many thanks to all my readers._


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 20

V 1.0

_See__ A/Ns __at __end __of __chapter._

Watching the sun rise was very much an underrated activity.

Keitaro was standing at the railing of the third floor deck, facing toward the east as the night sky started to lighten. It was not the first time he had been awake at this hour, waiting for the day to begin. However, almost every time he had done so he had been on pirate watch on the island excavation in the Gulf of Thailand. Either that, or he was waiting for something really bad to happen, like what was to take place today.

He had awoken this morning to find Kanako wrapped around him in his futon, apparently having snuck in the night before. Since they were both still dressed in their sleeping clothes, it did not bother Keitaro very much. On the other hand, trying to get out of the futon without waking her was like trying to escape from a particularly affectionate bear trap.

Looking down at his battered Luminox watch, Keitaro saw that it was shortly before six in the morning. The duel was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM, and there was not much he could do until then. His appetite was pretty much shot, so eating more than some toast and tea was out of the question. He did not want to lay around in his room, and he had finally caught up will all the minor repairs around the Sou. The last repair had ironically been the first one he had intended to do, repairing the hole in the floor of Naru's room. It had not been a stressful job after all, since by that time he and Naru had a civil if slightly formal relationship. Nonetheless, he had brought along Kanako as a chaperone, and the three had wound up talking about various study related matters while he and Kana were working.

After finally getting out of the futon, Keitaro had looked over at the sheathed Hina sword and the two wooden _bokken_ had had been left on the table in his room. Even now, with the _ofuda_ seals applied to it, he could almost feel the sword humming, as though it was eager for the day's activities to begin. Repressing a shudder, Keitaro decided he needed some air, and decided to go to the upper deck. His sweatpants and t-shirt were sufficient to walk around the house in, so he put on some slippers and quietly left his room.

Looking out at the sun peaking out over the horizon of Tokyo Bay, Keitaro sighed and leaned forward against the railing. It was times like this that he wished that he was a smoker like Haruka was, just so he would have something to do with his hands. But if the smell had not been sufficient, his run-ins with some smokers back in Thailand had pretty much put him off the idea.

Just as the bottom edge of the sun finally cleared the ocean horizon, Keitaro heard something behind him, the faintest squeak of wood rubbing against something. Turning his head slightly, Keitaro was able to glimpse who was now standing behind him and gave a polite greeting. "Good morning, Tsuruko-san."

Tsuruko Aoyama stepped forward so she was beside him and returned the greeting. "Good morning, Keitaro-san. You're up early today."

"Didn't have a choice, I woke up at about half an hour ago and couldn't go back to sleep. Decided to come and watch the sun rise before I went to the family shrine." Keitaro was looking back out toward Tokyo Bay.

Tsuruko stood beside him and simply stayed silent as she watched the sun rise beside him. She wanted to say something, but what could you say to the person that would going to fight a potentially harmful duel with her sister? Glancing at the young dorm manager out of the corner of her eye, she could see that there was some tension evident in his body, but otherwise his posture did not betray any other sign of his thoughts.

After about ten minutes, Keitaro straightened up from where he was leaning against the rail. Turning toward Tsuruko slightly, he gave a slight bow. "Tsuruko-san, I feel I must apologize in advance for what is to occur today. I wish it did not get to this point, because I am afraid I will wind up hurting your sister in this duel."

Tsuruko returned the bow. "You are not to blame for this unfortunate affair. I fear it was because we did not understand the depths of Motoko-chan's feelings that this unfortunate chain of events took place. Therefore it is the Aoyama that are to blame for this."

Keitaro sighed. "I only wish to resolve this with the minimum amount of trouble. But I fear that will not be enough." He looked her straight in the eyes. "If I can say something without offending you, Tsuruko-san?" He waited for her to nod before continuing. "Please do not be too harsh on Motoko-san after this is all done. She looks up to you and your family, and I believe she fears disappointing you more than she does almost anything else."

Seeing Tsuruko give a non-committal nod, Keitaro gave a short bow. "I will see you and your sister shortly. Haruka will come up to your room to escort you the duel site. I wish you and your sister the best of luck." With that he turned and walked through the door leading to the stairs, leaving a thoughtful Tsuruko on the deck.

* * *

><p>After a quick breakfast of tea and buttered toast, and seeing that a breakfast tray was ready for the Aoyama sisters, Keitaro returned to his room to change his clothes. Finding his room empty, he quickly put on a grey <em>gi<em> and black _hakama_, tying the straps tightly around his waist, before pulling on a pair of split toe _tabi_ socks. Finally, he went into his dresser and pulled out an oblong wooden box and placed it on top and opened it.

Pulling out the blood red belt contained inside, Keitaro slowly, carefully, tied it around his waist. Centering the knot and making sure the ends were even with the gold Urashima crest on the left side, he finally turned and walked toward the full length mirror on the back of his room door and looked at the image reflected back at him.

_"The red belt is the highest symbol of our family style, Keitaro-kun."_ The voice of Hina Urashima echoed in his mind._ "It is not a _rank_, nor a _trophy_. It is a reminder of the vows we swore when trained to protect ourselves and those who cannot protect themselves. It reminds us that we fight and spill blood, and sometimes take lives, so that others may live."_

Looking at the Urashima family crest embroidered on the end of the belt, Keitaro continued hearing his Granny's voice. _"Any person can give their life for a cause, but it is a greater achievement to save a life, especially that of their family. The red belt is given to those that have taken life to protect someone who could not protect themselves. The red belt with the family crest is given to someone who has protected a family member from deadly attack. For without our family and our honor, the Urashima would cease to exist."_

Remembering Hina presenting the uncovered wooden box to him with both hands while bowing deeply to him, he remembered what she said next. _"For protecting a family member from certain grave injury and death, you are hereby presented with this belt, to remind you of the duty you have fulfilled, of the duty you will carry out from now on, and the duty you will teach to our future descendants. May these words and our family never be forgotten."_

Seeing that his clothing were in order, Keitaro opened his door, only to find Haruka on the other side, her hand up as if to knock. She smiled slightly upon seeing her nephew in front of her. "Ready for today, Kei-kun?" she asked.

"If I say no, can we call this off?" Keitaro asked facetiously. His aunt shook her head. "Then I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to get. I was going to go to the family shrine and pray before getting Kanako and heading to the grove."

Haruka nodded. The Urashima family shrine was a small room that only family members had access to. There were some family pictures and talismans there, as well as some incense sticks to light and some mats to kneel on.

"How are things with the other tenants?" asked Keitaro. It was not an idle question; the Urashima and the Aoyama did not want this duel to become public knowledge, so they were doing their best to keep things quiet.

"They were told at dinner last night that Tsuruko-san is visiting, and that Motoko-san is spending all her time with her. Su-chan is working in her shop, Kitsune-san is in her room either drunk or writing, Naru-san is studying, and Shinobu-chan is… suspicious." Haruka replied.

"How so?" Keitaro asked. The young student was not the most inquisitive tenant they had.

"She is the one that has been preparing the food for the Aoyama, so she has interacted with them. Plus she knows that the two are not happy with each other, so Shinobu-chan knows something is wrong," the older Urashima responded.

Keitaro sighed. "There really isn't much we can do about that. What is she doing now?"

"Clean-up in the kitchen, then laundry for the others. She's actually making more than a few yen doing that. So she should be indoors until later today." Haruka answered.

"Good enough. Let me tell Kanako what I'm doing, and we'll meet here at…" Looking over at his clock, he could see it was 7:05 AM. "Seven thirty. I see you are already dressed for this." Haruka was wearing a dark blue _gi_ top and black _hakama_.

"Yeah, can't exactly wear jeans and a t-shirt for this." Haruka walked over to his table and sat down. Looking over some of his books, she started to flip through one of them. "I'll wait for you here."

"OK." With that Keitaro left the room.

* * *

><p>Motoko was feeling something she had very little experience with; nervousness.<p>

While she had been tested in her family school, and had trained in the school kendo club, she had never felt the stomach twisting sensation she was experiencing now. Before, the worst that could happen would be that she would have to redo a training section of her family style, but now the stakes were much higher.

Awakening at daybreak, Motoko had barely opened her eyes only to see her older sister slip out the room door. Deducing that she had some errand to run, Motoko got up out of her futon and started to get ready for the day. Washing up in the small bathroom attached to her room, she came out and started dressing, starting with the plain white panties and the long white cloth strip she used to bind down her breasts.

Carefully wrapping the cloth around her chest with the skill learned from experience, Motoko was finally able to tuck the end of the strip under her left arm. Bouncing on her toes for a few moments, she was able to confirm that the bindings were tight enough to compress her chest to where it would not get in her way - a not insignificant concern to a swordswoman - but not tight enough to restrict her breathing or cause discomfort.

Looking down at her wrapped chest, Motoko, not for the first time, wondered about the irony of someone like her having a chest like she did. While Kitsune had the largest chest of the residents of the Sou, Motoko was actually the second largest, right in front of Naru. However, it was not widely realized, as Motoko would always have her chest covered, even in the hot springs, with a towel or some other garment whenever there was someone around her.

Turning to open her dresser drawer to pull out a fresh _gi_ top, Motoko was badly startled to see her sister in her room, leaning up against the wall by the door. She knew she had been distracted of late, but not to the point where she would not notice someone enter her room.

"I was wondering why you were going through all that trouble, you know. You would wear the bindings, but not wear fundoshi (traditional Japanese underwear)." Tsuruko remarked, staying where she was.

"Modern bras do not compress my chest enough to not get in the way while I fight." Motoko replied stiffly. It had mortified her when she had started to develop that her breasts would get in the way of her arms when she was using her sword. Finally, one of the older women of the clan had taught her how to bind her chest and that was now her preferred undergarment. In the instances where she could not let the bindings be seen, such as when she was wearing her school uniform, she would wear a chemise over it.

"Do you know how many girls your age would kill to have a chest like that?" Tsuruko pushed herself away from the wall and walked toward the center of the room.

"I am not like most girls my age." An understatement for the ages, to be sure. Never mind the fact that she looked like the idealized Japanese beauty, the _Yamato__ Nadeshiko_... physically at least, with her slender figure, long black hair, and porcelain complexion . She was somewhat lacking in the humility and domestic ability departments, however.

"Haruka-san will come to lead us to the duel site before eight this morning," Tsuruko stated briskly, all humor gone from her voice. "Shinobu-chan has prepared us another breakfast tray. You finish getting ready and we will eat here again." Opening the door, she slipped out of the room again.

Sighing, Motoko pulled out a white _gi_ and carefully put it on. The black _hakama_ came on next, tied carefully low on her hips. _Tabi_ socks went on last. Sitting down on the mat next to her table, she took a comb and carefully but quickly ran it through her hair. Finally, taking a length of red ribbon, she tied her hair back in a long loose pony tail, with only a few wispy tendrils in front of her face.

Hearing a tapping on her door, Motoko rose and opened it, fully expecting to see her sister with a food tray again. However, to her surprise, she found Shinobu standing in front of her.

"Good morning, Shinobu-chan. How can I help you?" The young domestic of the Sou looked nervous, yet she had a determined look on her face.

"Motoko-sempai… is there something wrong that is happening? You have not been around the house or at school for the last few days." Shinobu had her hands clasped in front of her, but her eyes were fixed on Motoko's face.

"It is not something you should be concerned about, Shinobu-chan. It is a family matter that my sister and myself are dealing with." Motoko tried to smile reassuringly, but she was afraid it probably came out as a grimace.

"A family matter involving the Urashima?" Shinobu was still looking at Motoko determinedly.

Motoko cursed under her breath. Shinobu was so unassuming a presence that it was easy to underestimate her. However, there was an intelligent mind behind that cute face.

"It is something that is being dealt with, Shinobu-chan. You should not worry about it." The voice behind the young tenant would have startled most people, but except for a slight twitch, Shinobu stayed steady.

"Good morning, Tsuruko-san." The young girl turned and looked at the older Aoyama standing behind her, holding a tray loaded with food. "I hope you find breakfast to your liking."

"We have found all of your food to our liking. I heard said that you hope to become a chef once you become older?" Tsuruko was smiling pleasantly as Shinobu stepped aside to let her enter the room.

"My family owned a restaurant, and my parents taught me how to cook. Hopefully someday I will be able to do well enough to have my own place." Shinobu smiled, or at least tried to. Turning to Motoko, she nodded and said, "If there is anything I can do for you, Motoko-sempai, please let me know. Have a good morning." Turning, she walked away from the room.

Placing the tray on the table, Tsuruko started laying out the plates of food. "Shinobu-chan is a very nice girl, isn't she?" she remarked.

"Yes, she is." Motoko sat down at looked at the steamed rice and fish in the bowl before her, as well as the miso soup, sliced pickles, and hot tea. Looking up at Tsuruko, she could not come up with anything else to say. Instead, she murmured _Itadakimasu_ in unison with her sister and started to eat.

* * *

><p>Kneeling on a mat laid down on the grass, Keitaro was trying to maintain his calm center. It was working, to a certain extent. He was physically calm, but his mind kept going around in circles.<p>

He knew that Motoko was a _dan_ ranked kendoist, someone who had been training for most of her life in her chosen art. She was nowhere near what someone would call a pushover. Yet he was afraid of what could occur in the upcoming fight. Because no matter how well she was trained, her family school was effective only within a certain niche of combat. And the way that he and other Urashima were trained to fight was way beyond her likely experience.

But there was no question as to letting Motoko win the fight. For one thing, it would legitimatize her tendency to attack without justification. As bad as it was for her to attack him, when he could defend himself, it was a lot worse for her to assault someone without the training or the constitution that would keep them from getting seriously hurt. Another reason was that it would be dishonorable, to both his family and hers.

There was one way that Keitaro could see that both of their families could end this matter with their honor intact… Motoko had to be soundly defeated, to the point where it was obvious to all that she had lost. Given how he was trained, it was going to be more than a little painful to the young kendoist. However, it would hopefully keep Motoko from being more severely punished by her family for her misconduct.

Keitaro could not see her from where he was, but he knew that Kanako was standing behind him, the sheathed and sealed _Juuchi __Yosamu_ thrust through her belt over her _hakama_. A _bokken_ was in her hands, with one hand on the handle and one on the blade section. It was not a ready position, but the wooden blade could still be deployed very fast… or dropped so she could draw the real blade in her belt. Kanako was dressed in a black _gi_ and black _hakama_, with a black belt tied over it for the sword. In her case, it was not just a belt for a sword, but one that signified her current level in the Urashima family art; one that had used their training to defend someone or themselves from danger. Her hair was worn loose and was fluttering in the slight breeze flowing through the clearing.

Looking down the path leading to the Sou, Keitaro could see three people walking toward him and his sister. After a moment he could see it was Tsuruko and Motoko, with Haruka leading them. Waiting for them to enter the clearing, and Haruka having lead them to their spot opposite him about ten paces away, Keitaro then rose to his feet, holding his bokken by the blade in his off hand.

Haruka, now standing in the center of the clearing, began to speak in a voice that was clear to all participants. "Know all that we are here for a duel demanded by Motoko Aoyama of the Aoyama Clan, against Keitaro Urashima of the Urashima Clan. This duel is being fought because it is alleged that Keitaro Urashima has questioned the honor of Motoko Aoyama and that the only way to make this right is through an honor duel. Aoyama-san, do you still wish to continue with this duel?"

"Yes, I do." Motoko answered in a strong voice. Her sister stood behind her with no expression on her face.

"Urashima-san, do you wish to continue with this duel?" Haruka now turned toward her nephew.

"Yes, I do." Keitaro's voice was steady, but in no way enthusiastic.

"Do you both have your seconds with you?" This was a rhetorical question, as Tsuruko and Kanako were next to their respective family members. The two fighters answered in the affirmative anyway.

"This duel is to be fought with _bokken_ only. No other weapons are permitted. The duel will be restricted to the white chalk circle we are currently standing in." The circle measured fifteen paces across. "Seconds will stand outside the circle and will not interfere with the fight unless I either declare the duel over or that there has been a major rule violation. In that case, the seconds can use what force and weapons necessary to protect the dueler or themselves." Tsuruko had Motoko's _katana_ thrust through her belt as well as holding a _bokken_. Motoko was holding a _bokken_ as well.

"The rules of this fight are as such. Once this fight starts, it will continue until declared over: no time outs. No crippling or potentially fatal strikes. No permanently injuring strikes to the eyes, ears, or throat. Physical empty hand techniques and _ki_ and _chi_ techniques are allowed if you chose to use them, as long as they follow the previous rules. You must stay in the marked area; if both feet leave the circle you are out and declared the loser. The duel will be declared over should a fighter lose consciousness, gives up, or has violated a major rule. In case of a major rule violation, only one warning may be given if it is apparent that the rule is about to be violated. If the move is already carried out, or the warning ignored, the fighter will be declared the loser. The two fighters will now step forward."

Motoko and Keitaro both stepped into the marked area, halting three steps away from each other, Haruka between them and to the side. "Fighters turn and bow toward the official." Both fighters turned and bowed toward Haruka. "Now turn and bow toward each other." Motoko and Keitaro both bowed, both of them keeping their eyes up and toward their opponent. "Swords at the ready…" Both fighters raised their _bokken_ and gripped them with both hands. Raising her hand in the air as she stepped out of the circle, Haruka dropped it in a slicing motion. "…Start!"

* * *

><p><em>AN – Obviously, the duel takes place in the next chapter. I had planned to do it in this one, because seriously, twenty chapters to get to this point. *sweatdrops*_

_However, since I just keep writing and writing, I would not be able to put the fight in this chapter without a delay of another couple days. So what I decided to do is post what I have up to the fight, and then dedicate the next chapter to the fight itself. It may not be the 3k word length I usually go for (although I doubt it will be short), but what I will do is post the fight chapter as soon as it is done, by Friday at the latest. So my apologies to everyone expecting the big fight._

_A/N 2 – As of 0000 PDT 18Oct2011, this story has 68,796 Hits, 166 Reviews, 18 C2 listings, 266 Favorite listings, and 239 Story Alerts. Thanks everyone. *thumbs ups*  
><em>


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21

V 1.0

_Motoko and Keitaro both stepped into the marked area, halting three steps away from each other, Haruka between them and to the side. "Fighters turn and bow toward the official." Both fighters turned and bowed toward Haruka. "Now turn and bow toward each other." Motoko and Keitaro both bowed, both of them were keeping their eyes up and toward their opponent. "Swords at the ready…" Both fighters raised their bokken and gripped them with both hands. Raising her hand in the air as she stepped out of the circle, Haruka dropped it in a slicing motion. "…Start!"_

* * *

><p>For what seemed to be an eternal moment, the two fighters stared at each other, one set of brown eyes fixed upon another behind a set of squared off eyeglasses. They stood motionless, the only sound that of the light breeze rustling the grass and trees around them. But then a maple leaf drifted between the two of them and just before it touched the ground, Motoko <em>moved<em>_…_

With a loud crash, the two _bokken_ clashed together, Motoko starting with an upper right slash, and his automatic deflection of the wooden blade as the two combatants stepped towards each other, trying to use the force and momentum of the strike to throw their opponent off balance. Motoko kept trying to step forward and push Keitaro back, but the dorm manager had dug in after the first step, anchoring himself in place. The kendoist rapidly withdrew her blade and attempted another attack from the opposite vector, but Keitaro had tracked the blade and had his own arcing in to meet it.

For a long minute, the two fighters exchanged blows as they slowly circled each other, Motoko always on the attack and advancing, Keitaro blocking and deflecting as he backed away, always moving at an angle so he would not be pushed out of the circle. Motoko's strikes came at a rapid rate as she tried to find an angle he could not block in time, quickly alternating between right, left, lower left and right, occasionally changing the pattern to prevent a counter-attack. However, Keitaro was strictly on defense as he blocked every strike.

After the pair had almost traced a full circle, beads of sweat were starting to form on Motoko's face from her exertions. She was used to doing constant sword attacks as part of her training drills, but it was a little different when doing them at full force against someone who was blocking and deflecting most of the force back at her.

After a moment, Motoko noticed something different was starting to occur. When the two fighters were moving, they had fallen into step, as their feet would touch the ground at about the same time and bracing themselves as the blows were exchanged. But now Keitaro was out of step with her, his foot would touch the ground before –

With a loud crack, Keitaro's _bokken_ struck Motoko's blade, which she had barely brought up to guard just above her left shoulder. Instead of withdrawing the wooden blade for another strike, Keitaro pressed down full force and abruptly shoved forward, knocking Motoko off balance and backwards. She was barely able to stay on her feet and keep stumbling backwards as he pressed forward the attack, his _bokken_ now arcing toward her sword arm…

* * *

><p>Tsuruko stood in place as the duel began, and her sister started her attack on the dorm manager. It was nothing surprising, but as a skilled kendoist there was much to be said not showing your hand too early in the fight.<p>

The elder kendoist had had nothing but bad feelings about this duel from the start, feelings that intensified as the day begun. Waking up on her own early in the morning, she had decided to watch the sun rise, only to find the manager already on the deck, leaning against the railing. He had heard her approach from behind him, even though she had been moving near silently, something that did not happen to her very often.

Talking to Urashima-san had disconcerted her somewhat. He was slightly tense to be sure, but otherwise there was no other sign that he was worried about the upcoming duel. Honestly, wishing her and her sister, his upcoming opponent, luck? It was something a high level master did in a fight with someone that he knew was a lower level than him. From little she knew about the young ronin, he was not a high _dan_ kendoist.

But then when Haruka came to guide them to the dueling ground, they saw that Keitaro was kneeling on the ground, waiting for them to arrive, his sister and second standing behind him with a sword and _bokken_ at the ready. Tsuruko's unease grew as she spied the sheathed _katana_ in Kanako's belt. It looked like an ordinary sword, but there was some feeling, an itch at the back of her mind, when she looked at the sword for too long.

But that unease was nothing compared to the dread that swept through her when Keitaro-san rose to his feet, and she was able to see him clearly. It was nothing about his demeanor, nor the way he was dressed that affected her so, but the sight of the belt that was wrapped and tied off about his waist. The blood red belt with the Urashima crest embroidered on one end.

As much as the Aoyama trained to master their school of sword fighting, or other people learned their various forms of martial arts, the one thing that the serious practitioners never really talked about was the final rationale of their training. The penultimate purpose of martial arts might be to defend against attack, but ultimately the true martial arts were developed and taught and learned in order to **kill**** people**.

In these modern times, no one truly expected white and black garbed Aoyama warrior-priests to go forth and battle demons or rampaging samurai. They trained mostly with _bokken_ for safety reasons, to keep the participants from being injured or even killed during practice. The number of students they had had steadily dropped, not that they had many in this century. The dozens of students training at one time in the 1800's had fallen to maybe a couple dozen in the 1950's, after the Occupation authorities had relaxed their proscription on martial training, to the half dozen they had start every year, of which maybe half would make it to _dan_ rank. Almost every other martial arts school was the same, as their proud and distinguished heritage slowly but surely became a historical memory.

But the Urashima were different. They had never sugar-coated what they taught to family members and close friends of the family. While they had their code of conduct and behavior, the Urashima style was for one purpose – to defend themselves and those that could not defend themselves, with lethal force if need be. They did not restrict themselves to one set system, striving to perfect what they already knew and never seeking to change or improve it. The Urashima took anything that would make them a more effective fighter and incorporated it into their system. Meanwhile, there had been no significant change to the Aoyama God's Cry School, both armed and unarmed, in almost two centuries, and when there had been change in the beginning of their history, it had been for the most Darwinian of reasons; if what you knew and learned did not work, you changed it or you died. The Urashima had been much more practical from the beginning, always learning, always changing, keeping what worked and tossing out what did not.

The Urashima red belt was a warning to those who knew what it meant. It was their way, in the insular world of martial arts, of saying _I __have__ taken__ life__ to__ protect__ life, __and__ I __will__ do __it __again __if __need__ be.__ Beware._ Tsuruko knew the significance of the red belt worn by Keitaro; Motoko did not, and she did not have a chance to warn her younger sister.

Watching as the two fighters circled as their _bokken_ clashed, Tsuruko could see what Keitaro was doing by staying on the defensive. First, he was letting Motoko tire herself with constant attacks while be merely blocked and conserved his energy. Secondly, and more importantly, he was observing her attack pattern. Every pattern had a weakness, even if Motoko kept changing it to prevent from being tracked, and if Keitaro managed to figure it out…

* * *

><p>Contrary to what some people thought, Keitaro did not like swordfighting.<p>

That was not to say he was not good at it. He had been on the verge of his second _dan_ rank when he had graduated from high school, and once he had left, he had stopped any serious training in it, except for running through an occasional _kata_ with a stick somewhere. His practice with Kanako the day before had been the first time he had seriously practiced since school. But he found himself slipping back into the familiar rhythm, the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide and act as each sword strike roared in and he would bring in his own blade to block, for now.

Fighting someone who seriously trained in swordfighting was not easy, but then again, it was not supposed to be. Unless your family school taught you the tricks for turning someone's fighting system against them.

Keitaro carefully watched Motoko as she attacked him, but not just sword strikes and attack angles. He watched her breathing, her grip, the set of her shoulders, the placement of her feet. But most of all he watched for her tells, the way her eyes locked onto the next targeted area, the way her shoulders would turn to square with the direction she was striking next, how her feet would brace before lashing out.

After observing Motoko for a long minute, and seeing that she was starting to get winded and frustrated, Keitaro made his move. Instead of withdrawing from blocking her next strike, he applied force and shoved forward, throwing her off balance. Quickly reversing his _bokken_, he arced in toward her unprotected sword arm. She was able to twist her arm so he would not hit the funny bone and cause her to drop her sword, but it was still a solid hit, and it _hurt_.

Going on the offensive, Keitaro began his own attack run, unleashing a rapid series of strikes toward Motoko's arms and upper shoulders. The young kendoist was blocking, but barely as he went right-left-right-right-left-right-left-left-right, his strikes coming in at random directions.

Keitaro could see that he was pushing Motoko back toward the circle's edge, and she did not quite realize it. If she passed the line, he would win, but that was not what he need to do. He could not just win, he needed to beat her, figuratively, and literally.

Halting in place, Keitaro held his sword in a guard and breathed more heavily that he need to, trying to give the impression that he was getting tired. Motoko halted as well, looking slightly surprised that he stopped his attack. But after a few moments she started advancing toward him, intending to start her attack anew, but Keitaro had different plans.

As soon as Motoko started her next strike, an overhead right, Keitaro brought his bokken up in a overhead block as well… only using his left hand. He could not hold off more than one or two strikes with one hand, but he did not need to. For as soon as the two _bokken_ locked together, Keitaro stepped in close and low, and unleashed a right handed concussive punch into Motoko's lower ribs.

As Motoko fell back, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, Keitaro pressed forward. He was too close to swing his _bokken_ again, but that did not mean he could not use it still. Pulling his left hand downward, as soon as his hand and the handle were at stomach level he drove the bottom of the handle up and into her belly, knocking the rest of her breath out of her. He gave her another shove and knocked her down on her butt, a step away from the circle's edge.

"Yield, Motoko-san." Keitaro's laconic words were the first spoken since the start of the duel.

"Never." Motoko's reply was equally succinct, but less intimidating due to her puffing for breath.

Nonetheless, Keitaro took two steps back and switched sides with his _bokken_ so it was down next to his right leg and watched as the female kendoist came to her feet and took up a guard stance, abet a bit shakily. She started to sidestep so she would not be next to the circle line and Keitaro followed, turning so he was facing her but keeping his _bokken_ at his side. He knew what she was probably going to try next, and was ready for it.

As soon as his back was to the circle, Motoko launched herself at him, her _bokken_ up for a medium overhead strike. Waiting until she was two steps away from him and committed to the attack, Keitaro sidestepped to the left, reversed the _bokken_ in his hand so the blade was now along his right arm, and blocked the descending blade with it. With his left hand he punched her in the ribs again, this time on the opposite side, stopping her cold.

"Isn't this getting a little old, Motoko-san?" Keitaro asked in a slightly questioning tone of voice. Of course it did nothing to calm Motoko's flaming temper.

Growling, she took a couple of steps back, brought her _bokken_ up in a two handed grip, and slashed down, screaming "_Rock__ Splitting__ Sword!__"_ and launching a wave of blue _ki_ at Keitaro.

Seeing the wooden blade start to glow before the attack was launched, Keitaro dove forward and down to get away from the energy attack as soon as the glowing _bokken_ was leveled at him. Literally hitting the dirt, the Urashima rolled to the side and up into a crouch before coming to a low standing position and then realizing that he had dropped his _bokken_ when he dove to the ground and it was now on the dirt a couple steps behind him. Oops.

Seeing this, Motoko gave a grin that would only be described as gloating as she started to wind up her bokken up for another _ki_ attack. "Finally, you will get what you deserve, you male! _Evil__ Splitting__ Blade!_"

Shocking everyone present, Keitaro did not dodge this attack. He stood in place as the blue energy attack flew toward him… and hit him… and flew past him to hit the trees behind him with a crash, leaving him unharmed.

"You know, that attack only works when the person you are targeting has malicious intent." Keitaro cocked an eyebrow at Motoko, which served only to enrage her.

"_Die!__"_ Leveling her _bokken_ at him, Motoko rushed him, seeming intent on impaling her with the point.

Standing in place as the maddened kendoist rushed him again, only this time he was not armed. No matter, for as soon as Motoko was a mere step away from him, Keitaro simultaneously stepped to the side, and channeling _chi_ to his arm, lashed out with his flattened left hand, shattering her _bokken_, leaving her holding only the handle.

"Yield Motoko-san, you can't beat me." This served to enrage Motoko more, and she rushed him again, the handle still in hand, a jagged splinter sticking out of it.

As Keitaro dodged her rush, Haruka, seeing that the handle was now lethal, yelled out, "Motoko, halt or forfeit! HALT!" As the kendoist kept charging and Keitaro dodged again, Haruka finally yelled "Motoko, you are disqualified!"

Hearing the magic words, both Tsuruko and Kanako stepped into the circle to assist. But since Tsuruko had been holding the _bokken_ she had with her left hand only, her right hand automatically went the _katana_ in her belt. Kanako saw this happen, thought the worst of it, and all Hell broke loose as she dropped her _bokken_ and drew the _Juuchi__ Yosamu_.

Kanako used _chi_ to reinforce her body for fighting, so when she drew the Ten Thousand Cold Nights sword, she unconsciously channeled some to the blade. The cursed _katana,_ already giving off its distinctive cold _chi_ once the seals were broken, suddenly increased its _chi_ signature a hundredfold; to anyone with any kind of _chi_ sensitivity, it was the equivalent of walking into their bedroom at 4 AM while they were sound asleep and cranking on a chainsaw.

As Tsuruko and Haruka froze in place, Keitaro's eyes snapped over to his sister, who was starting to glow and her hair was rise as though in an unfelt breeze as she held the demonic blade . Quickly looking back at Motoko, who was still charging him, he pushed his palms toward Motoko and roared out "_Hadouken!_" (Surge Fist) A stream of blue _chi_ energy was fired from his hands, caught her squarely and blew her back and down, leaving her unconscious.

Wheeling toward his sister, Keitaro started to walk toward her. "Kanako-chan, put the sword away. Please, the fight is over, put the sword away, Kana-chan."

The dark haired girl was standing in place, glowing and vibrating. After a moment, she gritted out through a clenched jaw, "Kei-kun… need… blood…"

Instantly understanding, Keitaro looked over at his aunt and barked out, "Haruka! Knife!" Nodding shakily, she reached into her _gi_ top and pulled out a _kaiken_ tanto and passed it to him. Quickly slashing his left palm, Keitaro held his bleeding hand over the trembling blade and let it stream down on it. Looking over at his sister, he ordered in a calmer voice, "Kana-chan, try and calm down, OK?" She gave a jerky nod, and after a few moments, the glowing and cold _chi_ dropped down, soon reaching its previous level. "OK, put it away now, Kana-chan." he ordered, and this time, Kanako was able to shakily sheath the sword. As soon as the blade was completely in the sheath, Keitaro snatched it away from her and pulled her into a rough hug, Kanako crumpling against him.

"Onii-chan…!" Kanako was sobbing in Keitaro's shoulder. "It felt so cold, and hungry… it wanted your blood… I could barely hold back…" The younger Urashima was trembling in his arm.

"It's done with, Kana-chan. The fight's over, and I'm not hurt. It's over." Keitaro looked over at Tsuruko and Haruka, who was staring at the sheathed sword.

"Is that what I think it is?" Tsuruko could not take her eyes off the cursed blade. There was only one type of blade in history that looked like it did and needed to drink blood. "Is that a Muramasa?"

Keitaro raised his eyes to Tsuruko's and looked at her steadily. For a long moment, Tsuruko felt the coldness of the demon blade anew, and then realized it was not from the sword, but from the young Urashima. Shivering, she looked away. "Pardon my rudeness." Turning, she walked toward her sister still prone on the ground.

"Haruka. I think I need a bandage." With a start, the older Urashima looked at Keitaro's hand, and while it was not bleeding heavily, it was still oozing. Reaching under her gi again, she pulled out a handkerchief and starting wrapping it around his hand. Looking at the sheath that Keitaro was now holding in his other hand, she could not see much blood on it, just a few smears. Given that the cut on Keitaro's hand was still bleeding, it could only mean the sword was absorbing the blood through the sheath, she realized with a shudder.

Looking over at Tsuruko, who was kneeling next to her sister, Keitaro glanced at Haruka and with his free arm gestured toward her. Understanding his intention, she stepped up close to him and he put his arm around her. Holding both his kin close, Keitaro was finally able to close his eyes and relax for a moment, even if there were still things left to do.

* * *

><p><em>AN – Sorry for the delay in posting this, but what hand to hand combat training I have in RL does not include swordfighting, which makes it hard to write a scene about characters that are supposed to know what they are doing while using it. I do hope it came out OK. _

_As for the energy attacks, in canon Motoko and Tsuruko both used the 'Evil Cutting Blade' attack on Keitaro with no ill effect, in Tsuruko's case to destroy a truck that was about to run Keitaro over. In this story, it was a risk that Keitaro was willing to take. And as to the 'Hadouken' attack, why should only the Aoyama have all the fun? It is a Down Right Awesome attack. *g* The Urashima can at least use and focus chi/ki for their martial arts, so having one actual ki attack is not outside the realm of possibility. A cookie to anyone who identifies where that attack come from… I still have a couple of cookies left that I was going to give out for whoever identified where the Juuchi Yosamu originally came from, but no one ever did. I gave the final clue/answer in this chapter._

_Thanks to PCH for a very quick and through beta read._

_A/N 2 – As of 0845 PDT 23Oct11, this story has 73,464 Hits, 175 Reviews, 20 C2 listings, 274 Favorite listings, and 245 Story Alerts. Thanks again guys. *thumbs up*_


	22. Chapter 22

Ch 22

V 1.0

_Looking over at Tsuruko, who was kneeling next to her sister, Keitaro glanced at Haruka and with his free arm gestured toward her. Understanding his intention, she stepped up close to him and he put his arm around her. Holding both his kin close, Keitaro was finally able to close his eyes and relax for a moment, even if there were still things left to do._

* * *

><p>Hearing a moan, the Urashima looked over to see that Motoko was starting to wake up. Tsuruko was kneeling over her, and had her hand against her shoulder, keeping her from sitting up. Letting go of his kin, they walked over to the prone kendoist.<p>

"I was not aware that the Urashima had a _ki_ attack, Keitaro-san." Tsuruko was looking up at him with an odd look on her face, a combination of respect and surprise.

"The Urashima style picks things up from various places." In this case it was from a wandering martial artist practicing for the underground fight circuit. Keitaro had been taught it by Granny Hina when he had been trained by her one summer. It was usually a one-shot deal, unless something else supercharged his _chi_, like Motoko's _'__Evil __Cutting __Blade__'_.

"What happened…" A slurred voice came from the ground, as Motoko became more conscious.

"You were knocked out by Keitaro-san after you were disqualified for attacking him with a lethal weapon." Tsuruko apparently did not believe in pulling her punches.

"Knocked out? Lethal weapon?" Motoko's slur was disappearing, but she still stayed flat on the ground, looking up at the Urashima and her sister.

"When Keitaro-san broke your _bokken_, you kept attacking him with it, even though it was now dangerous." Tsuruko reached behind herself and picked up and showed Motoko the handle of her _bokken_, an eight inch jagged splinter extending from the hilt. "Haruka-san gave you fair warning, but you disregarded her and she disqualified you." Since Motoko had ceased trying to sit up, Tsuruko pulled her hand away.

"How… was I… knocked out?" Motoko's eyes were now wide, as she remembered how Keitaro had shattered her wooden sword with just one strike of his bare hand, plus the dawning horrifying realization that she had not only lost her duel, she had been disqualified, which was much worse.

"_Ki_ attack." And now she remembered how she was charging her opponent, and with an angry look on his face – the first emotion he had showed during the entire fight – shoved his empty hands at her and blasted her with a bright blue ki attack. She had been blown onto her back and gone unconscious.

"How?" This question was not answered, as Keitaro was not going to reveal something that was essentially a family secret and Tsuruko did not know the specifics of the techniques, even if this were the time or place to talk about it.

"Are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded? Can you sit up?" Tsuruko watched as Motoko slowly sat up, and after a few moments, and a helping hand from her sister, was able to get to her feet, abet somewhat shakily for a few moments.

"Let's make this official then." Keitaro looked at Haruka quizzically for a moment before he realized what she was talking about. He then nodded and after looking at Kanako and seeing that she had regained her composure, stepped away from her and stood facing Motoko. Haruka then stood between the two but off to the side.

"Know all present that the duel between Motoko Aoyama and Keitaro Urashima is now pronounced over. Keitaro is declared the winner due to disqualification." Haruka looked from her nephew to the kendoist, seeing a expressionless look on his face, and a dismayed look on hers. "Do both sides accept this decision?"

"The Aoyama accept this decision." Tsuruko spoke up, looking sideways at her sister, who was looking down at the ground in a state of shock.

"The Urashima accept this decision." Keitaro replied, his voice even.

"Very well, this duel is declared settled. Which now brings up the next item; the terms of the duel. The loser of the duel was to leave the Hinata-sou. Motoko-san, since you lost the duel, that would be you. It is now 8:30 AM. You have 24 hours to vacate your room. If you do not leave by that time, or make arrangements for your property to be shipped to another location and you leave by that time, the authorities will be notified and asked to remove you." Haruka paused for a moment, apparently not wanting to say what came next but doing so anyway. "If you violently resist leaving the Sou, force will be used to defend the tenants and residents, and the police will be called immediately. Is this understood?" Motoko nodded her head. "Motoko-san, I need to hear you say it," Haruka said, not unkindly.

"I must leave the Sou within 24 hours. If I do not, the authorities will be called." Motoko looked up and at Haruka, her eyes hollow. "I promise I will not resist."

Haruka nodded. "We will leave it up to you how you will tell the other tenants." Looking over Keitaro and Kanako, she said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry Motoko-san." Flicking her eyes at Keitaro, he gave a short nod and turned and started walking toward the Sou, Kanako at his side. With one last glance at the two Aoyama, Haruka turned and followed after them, leaving Motoko and Tsuruko standing there in uncomfortable silence.

After a long moment, Tsuruko looked at her sister and said, "Let's go back to your room. I need to call Mother and the family and tell them what has happened." Motoko did not respond, but started walking toward the Sou, her sister a step behind her.

* * *

><p>Motoko sat on the futon in her room, her eyes fixed upon something farther in the distance than the wall she was facing. Today was the first time that she was defeated in a formal duel. She had fought and lost against instructors and her sister at the family school, of course, but this was entirely different. She had never come up against someone close to her age who was that much better than her, male or female, until she had met Keitaro Urashima at the Sou.<p>

She had not been honest with herself that day. She had told herself that she had lost that day because of his unconventional tactics. After all, it was not every day that you went up against a person armed only with an empty sheath who disarmed you, knocked you to the floor, and then knocked you unconscious.

Seeing him in _gi_ and _hakama_ this morning had been disconcerting. Even more than wearing the formal _haori_ and _hakama_ that he did the day of the disciplinary meeting, it suited him. You could tell that he was comfortable in the fighting garb, that he was prepared for what was to come.

She had felt the wave of dismay sweep through her sister when they had seen Keitaro stand up when they had approached him and his sister on the dueling ground. There was nothing that she could see that she thought could affect her sister so, as he was merely wearing _gi_ and _hakama_ with a _bokken_ in his hands. Moments later, she realized what it was that her sister had seen; the red belt worn by her opponent.

The Aoyama school did not have rank belts per say. Students wore white belts, which they changed to black belts once they achieved _dan_ status. One did not become an instructor until reaching their third _dan_, and was not considered a master until reaching their fifth _dan_. Motoko had received her initial _dan_ ranking two years ago, and was now on her second _dan_.

Upon seeing the red belt, Motoko had been slightly confused. She knew that there were some schools that used red belts denote _kyu_ (student) rankings and others to show high _dan_ rankings. Keitaro was obviously no mere student, but he could not be a high level master either. But once she started fighting him, that confusion had disappeared. Keitaro Urashima was good… very good. He had withstood a concentrated attack by her for over a minute, and that was no small thing. Then he had gone on the offensive, and it was all that Motoko could do to hold him back.

It was not until Keitaro had started using bare hand techniques that Motoko had realized in what a bad situation she had been in. With two blows that she was not able to block, he had knocked the wind out of her, and she knew that it could have been worse. It was then that she lost her temper and the fight had gone downhill from there.

The fact that he had destroyed her sword with his bare hands was not what had shocked her, even though by that point she was not thinking straight. It was the fact that someone other than an Aoyama had used a _ki_ attack on her, and succeeded in knocking her out, never mind the fact that she had already been disqualified.

Motoko shivered in spite of herself. She had known, in theory at least, that there were people… _men_… out there besides members of her family that could beat her in a fight, fair or otherwise. Keitaro Urashima was the first one she had come across, however, and was affecting how she saw herself.

She used her martial arts skills to defend herself and others. Yes, some people would consider it excessive when she used her _bokken_ or a _ki_ attack to knock men away, but they had not seen or experienced the perversities she had witnessed on the streets of Tokyo. But she had known with her skills and determination she would overcome them… until today. She had been beaten by a _male_, one that was not a dedicated kendoist, with a _ki_ attack… _barehanded_.

But that was now the least of her concerns. By losing the fight, she was now obligated to leave the Hinata-sou. She was now returning to the family dojo in disgrace, to face punishment for her actions. But given how she was defeated, she was almost looking forward to the remedial training she would undergo at home.

Hearing her door click open, Motoko looked over to see her sister enter her room. It took her a moment to realize there was something wrong, as there was an emotion on her face she could not recognize.

Closing the door behind her, Tsuruko leaned back against it. She had just called home on her mobile phone and told them what had happened during the duel, and the results of it. She had known that they would not be happy, but she had not known they would react like… this. And it could have been worse… much worse. It had taken twenty minutes of arguing, pleading, and even threatening to refuse to accept being heir to the school again for the elders to back off on the punishment they had wanted to impose on her sister.

"Aneue, what is wrong?" Motoko's question caused Tsuruko's chest to clench.

"I…" Tsuruko had to pause and clear her throat to continue. "I just finished speaking to the family elders about the duel. They were… upset. Very upset." Her voice trailed off.

"What did they say?" A feeling of foreboding was rising in Motoko.

"They have decided that your actions both before and during the duel have disgraced the family and the school and that you should face the most severe punishment for it." Tsuruko was looking at her younger sister now, and Motoko finally recognized the look on her face… sorrow.

"And what would that punishment be?" The foreboding was now becoming fear.

"They had wanted to completely disown you and ban you from using the family art. I managed to convince them not to do that." Tsuruko's expression had not changed.

"What did they decide?" Motoko's mouth was going dry.

"Banishment. You are not to return to Kyoto, you are not allowed to use the family name, you are not allowed to use the family kendo teachings. After such time as the elders think you have been suitably punished, at least a minimum of three years, and that you will not reoffend, they may undo the banishment, and you would be allowed to return home, at the lowest rank. I am to become heir again until a new heir is produced."

"And what is to become of me?" The blood was now pounding in Motoko's temples.

"You will continue to receive the stipend you have been receiving here. One of the family retainers will allow for you to use their family name, as it is relatively common and as she is the only surviving member of that family. The only place you will be allowed to use the Aoyama name is at school, since it would raise too many questions if you changed it. However, should you dishonor yourself again, all of this will be withdrawn, and you will be completely on your own."

Motoko sat in stunned silence. This was much more terrible than she had imagined, as her family art had been the focus of her life, and now it had been taken away from her. This was in addition to being forced out of the house she had lived in for the last two years.

Tsuruko stood and watched as Motoko was motionless for what seemed to be an eternity before she slowly rose to her feet and headed toward her dresser. Opening it, she started pulling out and stacking clothing, separating them between martial arts attire, school clothing, and casual attire. The last pile was forlornly small.

"What are you doing?" Tsuruko expected her to say something.

"Packing." Motoko's reply was short. "I need to leave by tomorrow, remember?"

Tsuruko could not respond to that. Instead, she walked up beside her sister and started to help her sort through her clothing.

* * *

><p><em>Knock knock knock.<em>

Motoko looked up and at the door. The last few hours had been spent in a daze, packing up the various clothes and items in her room, her sister assisting her. Tsuruko had gone outside to make another phone call, and she was now sitting at the table of the room, writing a farewell note to her fellow tenants. She did not have the nerve to face them after the dishonor she had brought upon herself, and this way she would be gone before they knew what had happened. She did not want her personal problems to spread discord throughout this house… or more discord, to tell the truth.

Rising to her feet and walking to the door, Motoko was starting to dread who she might find on the other side of the door. She was not very good at concealing her emotions, and should someone ask the wrong questions, she was sure the answers would be almost literally written across her face. And if it was one of the younger tenants like Shinobu or Su, for whom emotional control was an abstract concept rather than a reality, the whole household would learn of it.

"Kanako-san?" The assistant manager was perhaps the last person she expected to see. Motoko would have expected to see Keitaro before seeing his perpetual shadow without him.

"How are you doing?" Kanako had her normal deadpan expression on her face.

"About as well as is to be expected." Motoko knew that two could play at this, although she was not really in the mood to do so.

"I would like to speak with you before you leave. Would now be a good time?" Motoko was somewhat taken aback at the question, but she answered in the affirmative and stepped back to let the younger girl in.

Upon close the door, Motoko turned to see Kanako looking about the room. Most of the items were now in boxes, ready to be shipped out. The only things still out where some cushions for sitting around the table and the futon, plus the furniture that came with the room. Gesturing for Kanako to sit down, Motoko sat at the table opposite her.

After a long moment where the two looked at each other, Kanako broke the silence. "I know that you may not believe me when I say this, but I do not have a personal grudge against you. I may have at the beginning because of how you treated Keitaro-kun, but once I got to know you, I could see the reasons why you act the way you do. As long as you were following the rules I did not have a major problem with you living here.

"We also have a lot in common, and that is why I came to see you. There are some things I wish to ask, and some things I want to tell you." Kanako paused for a moment, but there was no response from Motoko. "The first thing I would ask is what your plans are now that you are leaving the Sou."

Motoko was stumped. It was not as though she could tell outsiders about her banishment, and this was someone that until recently had been working to make her leave the Sou. She had to give a response, though.

"I will try and find another apartment in these parts. I am to continue my schooling here in Tokyo, and hopefully I can find something affordable." It was interesting to see how half-truths could serve just as well as lies.

Kanako nodded. "That is good to hear. I was thinking that you were going to return to Kyoto." Motoko somehow managed not to wince at that. "It is also good to see that you are not overly emotional about this situation. I mean no offense, but I thought that you might overreact in the aftermath." Kanako gave a glance at Motoko, and she was able to understand what she had implied.

Motoko did not know if she should be amused or insulted that Kanako would think that she would commit _seppuku._ Granted, if she had been completely expelled from the Aoyama clan like the elders had first wanted to, it would have been something she would have considered. But given that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dim it was, she was going to fight to reach it. The last thing she wanted was for people to remember her with either pity or disdain.

"I have been fighting all my life, Kanako-san. I am certainly not going to stop now." Motoko's response was vague enough that no one could read into it but still be encouraging. "Which reminds me, there is a question I want to ask you, if I may." Kanako nodded for her to go ahead. "What is the significance of the red belt that Keitaro-san was wearing during the duel? I know that my sister may know since she reacted when she saw it. I don't want to be insulting, but he is too skilled to be a _kyu_ ranked fighter, and I did not think he was a master level fighter either." Motoko could remember all the times she had seen the manager and his assistant practicing martial arts behind the Sou, and while he was very good, it was not master grade.

Kanako hesitated for a moment. "Motoko-san, what I am about to tell you is not something that is spoken about in public, even though there are people outside the family that know the story. I ask for your word that you not speak about this to anyone who does not already know."

"You have my word." Motoko was now more than a little curious about what was to come.

"First off, the Urashima family art is has been passed down since the inception of the clan four hundred years ago. The family received noble status when a scholar and warrior by the name of Taro Urashima, by himself and with no weapons, stopped an assassination attempt on the Tokugawa Shogun, becoming fatally wounded in the process. His last request was that his family be taken care of, and the Shogun named the clan lords on the spot. The sword that wounded him is now the Hina honor sword, it is the _katana_ I was carrying at the duel." Kanako gave a slight shudder at what had almost come to pass when she drew it.

"There are no ranks in the family art. When a member of the Urashima clan is trained in the family art, they wear a white belt, it does not matter how old they are or how much training they have received. It is not until they successfully use the art to defend themselves or someone else that they start wearing a black belt. But beyond that is the red belt.

"The red belt is not a prerequisite to become a master, or to become the head of the clan. It is a reminder of the vows we take when we are trained in the family art. It is given when a member of the family performs the same act that our forbearer Taro-sama did."

Kanako stopped speaking, and Motoko looked at her curiously. Given the look on the Urashima's face, what she was talking about was very emotional to her.

"What was that act that Keitaro-san performed?" Motoko asked.

Kanako gazed directly at Motoko. "Protecting someone at the risk of losing their own life and using deadly force to do so. Keitaro-kun rescued me when I was drugged and kidnapped by a bosozuku gang two years ago to be sold into sex slavery. In doing so he wound up taking a life."

* * *

><p><em>AN – Yes, I am leaving you hanging. Yes, I am a bad, bad person. Yes, I hope to have a real kick-ass flashback coming up this week. It is going to be (hopefully) so badass it needs its own chapter. This is technically half a chapter, as the flashback and what happens when Motoko leaves is a full chapter's worth on its own._

_As to the promised cookies from last chapter, the Hadouken cookies go to Nightmare 2046, OutlawKnight, The Sinful, Bad Habits, DarkKnightsOfShadows, dragonick711, VGZ, SentiNel090, Megatyrant, silentprism, and Folaan. _

_The sword cookies did not get awarded unfortunately, since no one gave a complete answer. _

_The Juuchi Yosamu is a sword supposedly made by Muramasa, a legendary swordmaker, however one that had a reputation for passing on madness to his swords. It is a mythical/legendary sword said to be used in a competition with Masamune, another legendary swordmaker, one that had a reputation for inner calmness and peace. The two blades were given the normal cutting tests and were evenly matched. They were then were lowered into a stream with a cord, and while Muramasa's sword cut everything – leaves, fish, the very air – Masmune's sword, Yawarakai-Te (Tender Hands) had all the above items swirl away from its edge. Muramasa had thought that he had won, however a nearby monk stated that his sword was evil, for it cut everything indiscriminately, while Masamune's sword did not cut anything that did not need cutting and was therefore a peaceful blade. This story and others can be found on Wikipedia and other places. _

_And FYI, in real life Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Tokugawa shogun, banned his samurai from wearing Muramasa swords as he had lost many friends and relatives to Muramasa blades, and had cut himself badly with one. So when I decided to write about the Hina Demon Blade, I thought, why not use the most infamous Japanese sword in history?_

_As of 02Nov2011 0000 PDT, this story has 80,270 Hits, 196 Reviews, 20 C2 listings, 295 Favorite Story listings, and 265 Story Alerts. Thanks again for reading, guys. *thumbs up*_


	23. Chapter 23

Ch 23

V 1.5

_Shibuya Station  
>Tokyo, Japan<br>Two years ago  
>3:27 PM Local Time<br>_

Kanako Urashima was waiting impatiently for the coffee cart server to finish her order. Her nii-chan was due to arrive in a few minutes and she did not want to be late.

Keitaro was in the final days before he was to take the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo. Keitaro should have been a nervous wreck – other students she knew of that were taking the entry test for less prestigious universities were literally worrying themselves sick before they took their tests – but her big brother was strangely calm about the whole thing. When she had asked him about it, he had merely smiled at her and said, "I've studied for years for this test. I know I'm going to get into Todai. So why worry about it?" But even as she heard his fearless words, she could see the tiniest spark of nervousness in his deep brown eyes, and she wanted to do whatever she could to assuage it.

Kei-kun normally rode home on the train with her after they both left school, but he had to leave class early to do some paperwork in the administration office regarding his upcoming graduation. So they had agreed to meet at Shibuya Train Station , at the statute of Hachi, a loyal pet Akita dog that waited at the same spot for the train that would bring his master home from his job at the University of Tokyo. One day the man died of a stroke at work, but for ten years afterwards Hachi would show up at the same spot at the time the train would arrive from Todai, until the loyal dog finally passed away as well.

The younger Urashima did not know what to think about the meeting place. It was a popular place to meet for many people, and Hachi's owner had been a Todai professor, but the thought of waiting for years for someone who would never come sent shivers down her spine.

Tapping her foot, Kanako watched as the server prepared her decaf vanilla coffee with steamed milk. She had to be careful drinking coffee, since any intake of caffeine would turn the insomniac hyperactive. Being awake at 3 in the morning was bad enough, let alone being unable to keep from twitching in her chair while studying, or gods forbid, laying in her futon.

Kanako gave a quick look around as the server was finishing, both to see if Keitaro was arriving, and on the lookout for people with perverted intent. It did not happen often, but there were men and teens out there that thought that a fourteen year old girl wearing a school blazer, blouse, tie, and plaid skirt was just like the ones in the doujin manga they read, and were all ready to go and have a tawdry tryst at the nearest love hotel. They also did not like to take 'no' for an answer, but on the rare occasion that someone tried to grab her after she firmly refused them and walked away, grasping the ring and little finger of the hand that was on her and abruptly and violently bending them 90 degrees the wrong way tended to get her point across.

"That will be 590 yen, miss." The server said. Kanako started to dig through her coin purse in her handbag, therefore she did not see the server look over her shoulder at a young male wearing a red and black leather racing jacket who gave him a subtle nod, nor did she see the server slip a small pill into her drink while snapping a travel lid on the paper cup.

Dropping a 500 yen note and a 100 yen coin on the counter, Kanako grabbed her drink and walked away, not wanting to be delayed any longer. Sipping the steaming hot drink, she walked over to the small plaza that had the pedestal and statue of the famous canine and looked around for her nii-chan, not seeing him there yet. Five minutes stretched into ten, and by that time she had finished her coffee and flipped the empty cup into a nearby trash can.

On her next circuit of the plaza, Kanako started to feel tired, sluggish. It was not a feeling she was familiar with, not unless she had been performing hard physical exercise. But this was worse than running sprints in school or a sustained spar while training. It was as though her energy was running out, and she could barely move. Stumbling over to a bench, Kanako was barely able to sit before she would have collapsed.

Slumped on the wooden bench, Kanako was hardly able to move her head to see a male in a red and black racing jacket sit down next to her. Taking her hand as though they were boyfriend and girlfriend, he leaned in close to her face as if he were going to kiss her and looked carefully at her eyes and face to gauge her reactions. When he saw that all she could do was move her eyes and breathe, he smirked slightly before taking her arm and throwing it over his shoulder. Reaching across her back with his arm and taking hold, he lifted her up to where she was standing, the two of them looking like a couple with their arms around each other.

Barely able to stay on her feet as the male was pulling her along, Kanako's head flopped to the side, and she was able to see her brother cross the street and enter the train station plaza a fair distance away, his head turning as he obviously looked for her. Unable to move, not capable of calling out loud for help, Kanako was barely able to do two things.

With all the inner strength she could muster, she managed to form a weak _ki_ pulse and release it, a signal that a _chi_ sensitive would pick up on. And with what little force she was able to muster, she softly cried out "_Kei__…__ta__…__ro__…_" before blacking out.

* * *

><p>Keitaro Urashima was late, and it was something that he hated.<p>

It was not his fault today. There had been a delay in picking up the paperwork from the high school administration office, as the proper forms had not been filled out. Then he missed his usual trolley to the train station, and he had to wait ten minutes for the next one to come along. Now he was crossing through the pedestrian scramble crosswalk at the intersection and walking toward the plaza of Hachi the dog to meet his little sister, increasing his pace once he got clear of most of the crowd. He knew that she could take care of herself most of the time, but leaving his junior high school aged sister alone in a crowded public place was just asking for trouble.

Reaching the edge of the plaza, Keitaro started to look around for Kanako. He was having trouble finding her, as the small plaza was filled with people, and many of them were school girls in similar uniforms.

His eyes had already swept the plaza once and were coming back the other way when he felt something… a _ki_ pulse. It was something that only a trained martial artist or a _chi_ adept like a temple priest could do. But his eyes automatically looked in the direction the pulse had come from, and the hair on the back of his neck rose.

He could see a young couple walking along with their arms around each other, a male that looked to be in his late teens wearing a red and black racer jacket and jeans, and a girl with long black hair and a school uniform. But looking closer he could see that the girl was barely walking, it was almost as if she was being carried long. But what instantly grabbed his attention was a familiar book bag sliding off her shoulder and fell to the ground, and the couple did not stop to retrieve it. In fact, it looked as though the male was trying to hurry the girl along.

"Kanako…" the Urashima said softly in disbelief. Starting to move faster, he called out "Kanako…" Seeing them keep moving quickly, he finally shouted out "_Kanako...!_" as he started to run toward them.

Just as Keitaro was about to go into a full sprint, two older teens in leather jackets stepped in front of him. Juking to the side, Keitaro tried to go around them, but one of them grabbed him by the arm and nearly yanked him off his feet.

"Where the hell ya think yer goin', ya little shit?" The taller one sneered at him. "I think ya gotta pay the toll first," his other arm started to pull back, obviously getting ready for a punch.

Becoming almost frantic as Kanako was getting farther away from him, Keitaro ripped his arm free and tried again to run around him, but now the second guy came at him, a glass bottle in his hand arcing toward his head. Barely able to jerk his head out of the way, Keitaro drove a short power punch into the second guy's exposed ribs, driving the air from his lungs and doubling him over. This did nothing to dissuade the first guy, who was now swinging at him with some kind of short club. The Urashima was just able to block the club from hitting his head, but his forearm caught the edge of the weapon and a painful shock ran up his arm, making him think that the blow had almost cracked the bone. It was time for the gloves to come off.

The second guy was now rushing him, his hands outstretched as thought he wanted to grapple with Keitaro, a look of fury twisting his face. Keitaro did not have a lot of time to waste, so as the guy just got within reach, he grabbed his arms and spun in place. With a hard yank he pulled him up and over his shoulder, but instead of letting him go as he cleared the top, Keitaro drove him down and into the ground, hitting head and shoulder first, cracking the latter and making him unconscious.

Keitaro whipped around and saw that the first guy was coming at him again with his club. Dodging to the side as the weapon came down, Keitaro grabbed the guy's arm, twisted it as he spun to the side, brought it over his shoulder and without pausing pulled down with great force until the elbow dislocated with a loud pop, which was followed by a scream from the attacker, a scream that was mercifully cut short as Keitaro drove his elbow back into the guy's temple, knocking him out.

"_Kanako!_" Keitaro shouted as he began to sprint toward his sister. He could see that the red-and-black jacket guy was dragging her toward a group of rice rocket bikes parked at the curb, as well as a beat up Toyota sedan with the driver's side doors open with another jacket wearing teen standing by, his eyes wide as he saw a guy in a school uniform tear through a couple of members of his crew and was now racing toward them.

"Boss, look out!" The driver shouted as the red-and-black jacket guy got to the car and pushed Kanako toward him. Catching the semi-conscious girl as she fell into his arms, the driver tossed a wooden walking stick toward his leader.

Seeing that the driver of the car was trying to stuff Kanako into the back of the car, at a run and without missing a beat Keitaro grabbed a juice bottle from the hand of a bystander and threw it full force at the driver. The bottle missed the driver's head, but it hit the door frame and shattered, glass fragments and juice spraying into the driver's face a foot away. With a shriek the driver dropped to his knees and started clawing at his eyes, blinded and in pain from the injury as Kanako fell halfway into the car, her legs hanging out of the open door.

The red-and-black jacket guy spun around and seeing Keitaro running toward him. Snarling, he grabbed the stick in both hands and pulled them apart, producing a gleaming sword blade two feet long.

Seeing the blade but unable to stop in time due to his speed, Keitaro instead lowered himself and slammed shoulder first into the guy, driving him back into the car and trying to grab the guy's sword arm, but he was at a bad angle to do so. Grappling with the guy face to face, Keitaro began to give him the infamous 'Glasgow kiss', slamming his forehead repeatedly into the guy's brow and nose, breaking and bloodying the later before being shoved backwards, falling back on his butt and losing his glasses in the process.

Scuttling backwards, Keitaro could see the guy taking a good two handed grip on his swordstick blade; a double bad sign, as it showed that he had proper kenjitsu training and was no longer looking to get away but instead was focusing on attacking Keitaro.

As the swordsman started to advance on Keitaro, his hand hit something sticklike. Not willing to be choosy at this point, he took hold of it as he scrambled to his feet, and saw it was the sheath of the swordstick the guy was wielding. He was just able to toss it from his left to right hand when the guy attacked, the blade whistling as it arced toward his head. Keitaro was barely able to bring the sheath up to block, but it was not at the angle to properly deflect the blade. The wooden sheath disintegrated under the blow as it kept the blade from striking him.

Dropping the small remnant of the sheath, Keitaro circled as the guy kept advancing toward him, dodging the various strikes the guy kept unleashing at him. Even with him unarmed against the furious kidnapper, Keitaro was not in a bad situation, as all he had to do was evade and delay the guy long enough for the police to arrive, as they almost certainly had be called by someone on a cell phone due to the disorder that had started when he chased after his sister.

But as soon as Keitaro even thought that, the back of his legs bumped up against a park bench. Looking around frantically, Keitaro saw that the guy had deliberately driven him against the bench to trap him, as he would not be able to dodge or get out of the way anymore. The look on the guy's bleeding face became positively demonic as he stepped closer and brought his sword up then down at high velocity.

Seeing the sword slow down yet continue toward him inexorably, Keitaro realized he had gone into tachypsychia due to the extreme danger he was in. Knowing that if the sword hit either his head or neck he was dead and Kanako would disappear, Keitaro performed one last desperate tactic. Supercharging the _chi_ in his body, Keitaro concentrated his spiritual energy in his left hand and arm and swung it upwards full force at the descending blade, aiming not just at the blade but past it.

With a loud crash, the sword blade shattered as it met the reinforced hand, the force behind both blows driving both sets of hands past each other. The guy's hands, still holding the blade handle, swung down in front of Keitaro's torso, not causing any damage since the blade fragments extending from the hilt were too short to reach to him. However, Keitaro's hand hit something relatively soft, which crunched under the impact of the edge of his hand and threw the guy backwards and down.

The force of the blow landing tossed Keitaro back onto the bench, although he quickly came to his feet. Looking around rapidly, he saw that there were no other hostiles coming toward him out of the stunned crowd, and that Kanako was still laying halfway in the open car door.

Running toward his sister, he dragged her out of the car and past the driver that was still writhing on the ground. Laying her down on the grass, Keitaro quickly checked her pulse and breathing, and was relieved to find them, abet a bit on the slow side. She was semi-conscious, although she was starting to twitch and move more, showing she was waking up.

Hearing a low strangled gasping, Keitaro looked around and saw that the last guy was on his back, his face turning a dark purple. Stepping closer to him, he could see that his eyes were bulging and he was struggling to breathe, even though those struggles were lessening. After a moment Keitaro could see why; his hand strike had hit him in the throat and larynx and completely crushed it, turning them a dark purple as well from the bruising and swelling.

Even as Keitaro thought about any first aid he might be able to do – although something like this would take a surgical tracheotomy to fix – two police officers came running through the crowd, shouting "Police, Police, what happened here!"

Keitaro suddenly began to feel weak, as the adrenaline started to wear off. Dropping down so he was next to Kanako, he gestured toward the downed teens. "They… tried to… kidnap… my sister. I… had to… fight them… to save her."

One of the officers had dropped down to one knee and was examining the last fighter. After a few moments, he grabbed his shoulder radio microphone and called for multiple ambulance and medical response. Looking over at Keitaro, he asked incredulously, "What the hell did you do him?"

"Came at me… with a swordstick. Had to… break the blade…. hit his neck too." Keitaro was getting dizzy as the officer pulled out a CPR mask from a pouch on his belt and tried to breathe for the downed fighter, to no effect.

The officer grabbed his mike again. "This is Shibuya 3-2, I have at least one critical injury here, put a rush on the medics. This is a major response call, I need supervisors and investigators here ASAP." Letting go of the mike, the officer began to do rescue breathing again, but by this time there was no response from the downed fighter.

Hearing the high-low sirens of the ambulances arriving, Keitaro saw medics carrying bags ran toward them and started to work on the motionless fighter. Sitting still, he watched as they tried to intubate him before they lifted him onto a stretcher and moved off toward the waiting ambulance, As more medics arrived, and one of the medics started to examine Kanako, Keitaro finally fell back onto the grass, his eyes looking up at the sky as even more sirens came closer.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory,<br>Hinata City, Tokyo, Japan  
>Current day<br>3:25 PM Local Time  
><em>

"…That was the end of the fight that day, but there were serious consequences as a result." Kanako said as she sat across the table in front of a motionless Motoko. "Every one of the gang members that were involved in my abduction received severe injuries as a result of fighting Keitaro-kun. A separated shoulder was the least of the injuries. A broken elbow joint and the loss of vision in one eye as a result of broken glass were the injuries sustained by two of the accomplices. The last injury was the gravest; the man that had kidnapped me had his throat crushed when Keitaro broke the sword that he was trying to kill him with. That man died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital." Kanako looked at Motoko for a moment, but the older girl remained silent.

"Because his actions had resulted in the death of another person, and I was not in a condition to verify what had occurred, Keitaro was taken into custody by the Tokyo police. He was held and interrogated as a criminal suspect for almost 24 hours before I regained full consciousness in the hospital and called my family. It took Granny Hina 30 minutes after she got the call from my parents to march down to the police station and get Keitaro-kun released. Granny and Keitaro-kun never spoke about what happened at the station, but I do know that one police investigator was demoted and another dismissed as a result." Kanako gave an almost imperceptible shudder as she remember the look on her nii-chan's face as he got home from the police station, his bruised face showing exhaustion and grief. "Once the police investigation was completed a week later, the testimony of the onlookers in the crowd and the confession of the coffee vender that had drugged me lead the prosecutor's office to rule that the death of my abductor and the injuries of his accomplices were excusable."

"The coffee vendor confessed?" Motoko asked, this her first question since the story began.

"The vendor was a member of the bosozoku gang that had kidnapped me. Apparently, this gang had a relationship with a yakuza group, and what they would do is drug young girls' drinks, abduct and gang rape them, forcibly addict them to drugs to control them, and sell them to prostitution rings, or to human trafficking groups overseas." Now it was Motoko's turn to shudder at the images she came up with after that description. While violent crime was relatively rare in Japan, the true stories of North Korean agents abducting Japanese citizens to take back to their country was still fresh in the public's mind.

"Once the hospital tested me for drugs and came up positive for rohypnol, the police investigated the drink vendors around the plaza. The vendor who drugged me was found relatively quickly, as the drink cart he worked from was owned by his family." Kanako paused for a moment as she looked down at her hands.

"The day after I arrived home from the hospital, I went to wake Keitaro-nii-chan for breakfast, but I found his bedroom empty. We looked throughout the house but he was not there, and my family and myself were starting to panic. Keitaro-kun had been very quiet and depressed that week, and we were starting to fear that he had left to do something rash." Here Kanako stopped speaking for a moment, but Motoko understood what she meant; the Urashimas had thought that Keitaro had become suicidal.

"It was not until late that afternoon that we found Keitaro, as he was slowly walking toward the house from the trolley station. When I ran out of the house and asked him where he had been, he just gave me a sad smile and said, _'__Today__ was__ the __Todai __test,__ and __I __had __to __keep __my __promise. __I __don__'__t __think__ I __did __very __well __though.__'_ Then he started to shake as though from the cold, and he would have collapsed if I had not been there. I had to almost carry him home, and he stayed in bed for three days after that. It took almost a month before he was almost like he was before that day, but something changed in him, and he's become sadder since then. It was three months after he got the news that he had not received a high enough score on his exam that he got a contract labor job with a professor at Todai and went overseas on an expedition."

Kanako looked at Motoko steadily, locking eyes with her. "The reason I am telling you this story is because Keitaro was able to overcome what happened to him that day, and while our family helped as much as we could, it was because of Keitaro himself that he got better. You can never give up, even when you think you are in the worst of situations. Ultimately it is your strength of will that will help you withstand what has befallen you."

Her eyes flicking to the paper and pen before her, Kanako looked back up at Motoko. The older girl looked down at the note she had been writing to say goodbye to the other tenants of the Sou, and suddenly feeling disgust at the cowardice the note represented, Motoko picked the sheet up and tore it into pieces before tossing them into a trash bag.

"It is almost time for dinner to be served, Kanako-san. I need to get ready, as I need to say goodbye to everyone. Could you do me a favor?"

"If I can," Kanako replied, her tone noncommittal.

"I don't want to ruin everyone's dinner by telling them I am leaving before they eat, so if you can ask everyone to assemble in the living room after dinner? I will say goodbye then." Motoko saw Kanako think for a moment before nodding.

"I will ask Keitaro-kun, but I do not think he will have a problem with it. I'll go and ask him right now." Rising to her feet, Kanako walked to the door. Turning back, she looked as though she wanted to say something, but finally turned and left.

* * *

><p>Motoko closed the room door and made sure that it was locked. Walking over to the dresser, she set down the duffle bag next to it, and then moved to the low table and put her shoulder bag on top of that. Looking around the minimally furnished room, she was reminded more than a little of her former room at the Sou, the room she had barely left today.<p>

Her farewells with the other tenants of the Sou had not gone as badly as she had feared, although it was a close thing. The girls had all been shocked at her announcement that she had to leave the dormitory due to 'family obligations'. Shinobu had nearly burst into tears and Su almost had to be pried off her waist, she was hugging her so tight. It was only after Motoko had reassured the younger girls that she would still see them at school that they calmed down.

Naru was surprised but otherwise quiet about her departure, but it was Kitsune that had worried her. The fox-eyed girl had been watching her with a calculating look on her face, obviously not believing what the former swordswoman was telling them. She managed to slip away and not get cornered and interrogated by her, but not without seeing the look on the Urashimas' faces as she left the room. Apparently, they had not expected to hear that even though she was leaving the Sou, she was still staying in Tokyo.

After giving the tenants in the living room a hug, Motoko had picked up the two bags waiting for her at the entryway, walked out the door and down the hill to a waiting taxi. She had already said her farewell to her sister in her room, and that had been more wrenching than walking away from her home for the last three years had been.

* * *

><p><em>Motoko and Tsuruko sat on the tatami mat in her former room facing each other, not saying anything. Blame, recriminations, anger had no place at a time like this. This was a moment for the truth, and Motoko had resolved to not make things worse for the person that had saved her from oblivion. The fact that it seemed that all emotion had frozen inside of her only made it easier for now.<em>

_Taking out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, Tsuruko placed it on the mat before her and waited until Motoko had picked it up and read what was written inside before speaking. "Motoko-chan, that is the information of the family of our retainer that will be letting you use her family name, as well as the address of a friend of mine who will let you stay in a room for up to a week. By that time, you need to make arrangements on your own." _

_Placing a small mobile phone on the mat as well, the older sister continued. "This is a prepaid phone, of which I will be making the payments for. In your bank account, I arranged for a deposit of 500,000 yen, as well as continuing monthly deposits of 200,000 yen to cover your costs. These should be enough to pay for rent, food, and other expenses while you attend school. If you need more money, you will have to get a part-time job somewhere, preferably something that will not interfere with your studies. My phone number is already programmed in the phone, I will now be your point of contract with our family. I would like to hear from you every week or so, the way we have been doing it up until now, only you need to call that number instead of the family house number you have been using up until now." Watching as her sister picked up the phone and place it to her side, she waited for her to respond._

"_Why are you doing this, aneue? Why are you going through all this trouble for someone who has dishonored our family so gravely? The elders wanted to cast me away completely, and our relationship has not been as it was before. Why are you fighting so hard for me?" Motoko watched as her elder sister's eyes dropped to the mat between them._

"_I am doing this because it is partially my fault that you are in the situation that you are in." Looking up at her younger sister, she continued. "I had always assumed that you were more mature and level-headed than you turned out to be, and that you would be able to understand without explanation the actions and decisions that have been made. I had thought that it was merely childish jealousy that made you dislike my marriage, and that it would not affect you the way it did when you started disliking all men. I should have been clearer in telling you why I got married, why you became clan heir, why we allowed you to come to Tokyo. Instead, you had to deal with all this on your own, and it… did not turn out well._

"_What I should have done is break family tradition and been there for you. Too many members of our family are stuck in the traditions of our family arts, where the elders teach and the young absorb and memorize. But you are not just a sponge to pour knowledge into, you have emotions and feelings of your own, and suppressing them when you don't agree only made things worse."_

_Leaning forward toward her sister, Tsuruko continued. "You have to promise me to keep fighting, Motoko-chan. Life is not just martial arts and duty. Life is finding something you are good at and enjoy doing, and hopefully finding someone to share it with. So promise me, Motoko, that you will keep fighting and searching for what is your true destiny. You are the one that are in control of your life, please find what will make you happy, and make me proud."_

_Motoko sat motionless for a long moment before giving a slight bow and saying, "I promise, aneue…"_

* * *

><p>Kneeling down on the tatami mat in her borrowed room, now wearing only a white robe in spite of the chill, Motoko looked at the bundle in her lap, wrapped in white silk. Slowly unfolding the fine cloth, she looked at the <em>kaiken<em> dagger within. All of her other weapons had been left behind at the Sou, to be shipped to her former family home, but this one had been a personal gift from a relative, and she had kept it, although she had made sure that her sister did not see it when she was packing.

Unsheathing the small weapon, Motoko brought the knife close to her face, seeing her pale face and long loose back hair reflected in the gleaming blade. Holding the blade in her hand was different now; before weapons gave her a sense of comfort, a reassurance that she could protect herself and other. But now the blade only made her feel a sense of loss, a reminder of what she was now forbidden to use and practice.

…_Promise __me,__ Motoko,__ that__ you __will __keep __fighting__… _her sister's voice echoed in her mind, _please__ find __what __will __make __you __happy._

_I promise, aneue…_

Slowly turning the blade so that it was at the optimum angle to cut, Motoko brought the blade to her throat, her other hand taking hold of her hair and moving it to the side. Feeling the painful knot of unknown emotions in her chest growing larger and more virulent, the newly proclaimed _ronin_ stayed motionless for a long moment, steeling her nerves before swiftly cutting with the razor sharp blade.

Handfuls of long black strands fell to the floor as Motoko hacked it away, leaving her hair uneven just below ear's length. Finally dropping the knife, Motoko wrapped her hands around herself, rocking back and forth on her knees as her anguish and sorrow finally began to escape from her formerly iron control in the form of muffled sobs.

* * *

><p>Sitting motionless in the darkened room, a single figure knelt on the tatami mat in the room facing the window, although she was not looking at any particular thing. The only sound was her breathing, the only light coming under the door from the hallway behind her.<p>

A new sound became apparent, that of footsteps. They would not have been noticed otherwise, but the house was so quiet this night that it could be heard. The steps stopped in the hallway, there was the sound of someone tapping on the door, and after a long moment it clicked open, partially illuminating the empty tenant room, light reflecting off the window glass and onto the tears trailing down the face of Tsuruko Aoyama.

Keitaro Urashima stepped into the room and paused for a moment before he spoke, his voice even. "You and I need to talk, Aoyama-san."

* * *

><p><em>AN: At 6208 words, this is the largest chapter I have written, and the most involved action sequence to date. Hopefully it will meet with your approval. *grin* Not that it is an excuse for this chapter being a week late, but I have another explanation, really… Modern Warfare 3. *sigh* The good news is that I've made it through the single player game, and I'm not much of an multiplayer, so I'm not going to get hung up on it again. The other good news is that even though Halo Anniversary version is coming out, I'm not going to get caught up in it like I did MW3._

_This is pretty much the end of the first arc of this story. There are two more arcs coming, and everyone's favorite professor and his daughter will be showing up soon._

_Many thanks to PCH and AZ MII for their betaing and commentary.  
><em>

_As of 16Nov 2011 0000 PDT this story has 90,568 hits, 208 Reviews, 21 C2 listings, 325 Favorite listings, and 283 Story Alerts. Thanks again, guys. *thumbs up*_


	24. Chapter 24

Ch 24

V 1.5

_Sanshiro Pond  
>Hongo Campus<br>University of Tokyo  
>Twenty two months ago<em>

Keitaro Urashima was leaning against the railing of the footbridge, looking out over the beautiful and serene waters of the pond in front of him. This was not the first time that he had walked through the feudal _Akamon_ (Red Gate) and come to explore the famous gardens at the University of Tokyo, having been first brought here at age four. This was however the first time that the stunning views of the ceremonial garden and pond had not cheered up and motivated him to do all that he could to one day enter Todai as a student. In fact, Keitaro was starting to feel the black waves of depression lapping at his feet yet again.

The first two weeks after the fight at the train station were the worst. He had spent almost a week laying on his futon in his room, obsessively going through the fight in his head, trying to come up with a different way to have ended it without the massive injuries and the death that had resulted. The echoes of the police investigators yelling at him during their interrogation kept going through his head as well, when they had variously accused of him of being a rival gang member intent on grievously harming the teens he had attacked, or having been a poorly trained martial artist gone amok and simply tearing through uninvolved bystanders. The investigators had been shouting at him to confess to his wrongdoings, ignoring his denials, and worst yet, not telling him where and how Kanako was.

For the first fourteen hours they tried to trip him up, trying to confuse him in countless retellings of what had happened so that he would 'tell the truth' and confess. The eight hours following that they had put him in a brightly lit soundproofed cell with a loud recording of a high-pitched baby crying on an endless loop, not letting him get any semblance of rest. But the last two hours had been the most brutal, as he had told the now angry investigators the same story one more time, and then falling silent to their shouted questions. The lead investigator had then slapped him hard in the face, and when Keitaro failed to respond, or even cry out, they began to hit him repeatedly. He was handcuffed behind his back to a steel framed chair, so they took turns slapping him with open hands, punching him in the stomach and sides, and in the end punching him in the face with closed fists. Except for short involuntary cries as the blows landed, Keitaro kept silent, focusing his eyes on the dirty linoleum floor in front of him, trying to keep his mind blank, trying to separate himself from the pain.

Given that he was concentrating on ignoring the blows, Keitaro did not hear the door of the interrogation room open. But he did see the investigator standing in front with his arm cocked for another punch abruptly get yanked backwards and thrown across the room, smacking face first into the wall. There was the sound of shouting, and then Granny Hina was kneeling in front of him, wiping the blood and snot from his face with a handkerchief, softly telling him everything was going to be fine now.

Once his hands were released from the cuffs, Keitaro slowly stood up and turned around. The thrown investigator was lying on the floor knocked out, and the other cop was standing at rigid attention, sweating heavily and looking as scared as anyone that Keitaro had ever seen, while a uniformed senior police commander was standing in front of the investigator and glaring at him.

Granny Hina gave a fierce look at the two investigators, then at the police commander, who was now looking nervous himself, and simply said, "Deal with them, Superintendent," and walked out of the room supporting Keitaro, the commander's response of "Hai, Urashima-sama," trailing behind them.

The other police officers in the station did nothing to stop the Urashima from leaving; in fact, they looked away in shame as the matriarch lead her bloodied grandson from the building. After throwing a look at the officer on duty at the front desk, he ran out the front door without a word and snagged a taxi for them, which Hina directed to a private doctor's clinic. Being attended as soon as they came through the door, after a brief yet through examination by the doctor and his nurse, Keitaro was more thoroughly cleaned up and bandaged, his injuries consisting of facial cuts, bruising and scrapes as well as a bloody nose, with more extensive bruising on his chest and stomach. Luckily there was no sign of cracked or broken bones or other internal injuries. After that Granny Hina took him home, Kanako rushing from the door to greet him and Hina barely keeping his younger sister from aggravating his sore ribs.

Having crashed into his futon as soon as he was able to get away from his younger sister, Keitaro fell into a restless sleep and woke up the next morning at the break of the grey dawn. Slowly pulling himself up through all the aches and pains he had in his body, he got dressed, picked up the examination pass on the dresser, and walked out of the still sleeping house, walking to the trolley station to take the train to Todai.

Keitaro had some trouble entering the exam room, as with all the bruises on his face he almost did not look like the photo ID that he had that was required to enter. Finally he was allowed in, and ignoring all the sidelong glances the other exam takers were giving him, he sat down and waited for the exam booklets to be handed out.

After the eight hour exam was finished, the young Urashima made his way home, so physically and mentally exhausted that if Kanako had not run out again to catch him as he was starting to fall in front of his family's house, he would have collapsed. He spent the next three days in his futon after that, Kana-chan now staying with him, leaving him only to get food for the two of them and go to the restroom. She even slept in the futon with him, swearing that she would always be there to take care of him.

The time between taking the Todai entry exam and when the results were posted were known as 'the period of oblivion' or as 'examination limbo', as the applicants worried themselves sick waiting for the results. Keitaro had the slight advantage of being emotionally blunted during the two weeks, but that did not help when, over his family's protests, he made his way to Todai's Hongo campus and found his test ID number, test score, and entry rank number. Five hundred applicants were accepted each semester, and fifty applicants below that were put on the reserve list, to fill in for any students that for whatever reason were not able to enter the university. After locating the proper listing board, Keitaro finally found his test score – 78%, with the cut-off being 80%. His entry rank number was 560, ten ranks below the reserve cut-off.

Upon seeing those scores, what little emotion Keitaro had drained away, leaving nothing but a hollow feeling in his chest. However, Kanako, who had insisted on coming along with him that day, was crying on his shoulder, looking for all the world as though she was the failed exam taker and he was there to support her. After staring at the board for what seemed to be hours, but in truth were minutes, the two Urashima made their way home.

Afterwards, Keitaro spent most of his time at home, either in his room or sitting in the small garden in the back yard. His thoughts were now jumping from the fight at the station, the time at the police station, and taking the Todai exam. The bad part about remembering the exam was that looking back at it he could see the correct answers, but he would see himself marking the incorrect ones due to his mental distraction.

After three weeks of missing school Kanako was forced to return to class, but this made her even more possessive and clinging to Keitaro when she was there. It had even gotten to the point where she would strip nude and climb into his futon and try to undress him while he was asleep. He had awoken every time she had tried it, but he was starting to get nervous that one night he would not wake soon enough to stop her, or worse yet, decide to tie him up before getting to the clothes removal part.

Keitaro had taken to wandering around the Tokyo metropolis, riding on the trains, walking through the various neighborhoods. His emotions had finally started to stabilize, from the previous depths of depression and sorrow at having crippled and killed with his bare hands, to despair for having failed so badly at the Todai exam. There was no question about his retaking the exam – he still had his promise to keep – however it felt like the ancient Greek story of Sisyphus, whose punishment in Hell was to push a boulder to the top of a mountain, only for it to roll down the other side and having to do it again.

Keitaro was looking at but not focused on the swans swimming in the water when he became aware of the smell of cigarette smoke, something he never did like even if it was something one had to get used to in smoke-crazy Japan. Looking off to the side, he saw that he had been joined on the footbridge by another male, this one in his early thirties, of a tall and lean build wearing a rumpled suit, with dark hair and glasses, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He was also looking off at the wading birds on the pond's surface.

Feeling Keitaro's eyes on him, the man turned and smiled slightly at him. "Sorry about that," he said, giving a slight bow. Flicking the lit ember from the cigarette into the water below, he pinched the end of the butt to make sure it was out before tucking the butt into his coat pocket. "I forget sometimes that not everyone is a smoker." He held out his hand to shake. "My name is Noriyasu Seta, professor here at Todai, glad to meet you."

Taking his hand, Keitaro gave a short squeeze, enough to feel the controlled strength and the callus across the bottom edge, characteristics of certain types of martial artists. "I'm Keitaro Urashima, I'm a _ronin_, I suppose."

"Ech, don't sound so down, Urashima-san. How many times have you taken the entry exam?" Seta leaned back on the rail while keeping his attention on the younger man.

"Once. I was involved in a bad… incident, I suppose you can say, and was too distracted to pass the Todai exam." Keitaro looked away toward the swans passing in front of him.

"Well, how many times do you think that *I* took the exam before I passed?" Keitaro glanced back at the smiling teacher, doing the calculations in his head. Given that he was a professor at the most prestigious university in Japan, he obviously had to be very intelligent, but the way he phrased the question implied that he had taken the exam more than once.

"Twice?" It was not uncommon for some Todai aspirants to take the test more than once, using the first time to get an idea on what the test was like and either increase their studies in the areas they did poorly in, or to test for another university or college entirely.

"Nope. I had to take the exam *three times* before I finally got accepted. How would you like to be known as a three time _ronin_, Urashima-san?" The smile on Seta's face broadened into a smirk.

Keitaro gave a slight shudder. It was bad enough to have failed the exam, but he was rather sure his family would not want to support him retaking an exam where he was essentially bashing his head against a wall. His parents were not all that happy that neither of their children were interested in taking over the family bakery and sweets business, to have one of those children essentially wasting their time in a hopeless pursuit would not go over well.

"Do you think that you would do well if you retook the exam again, Urashima-san?" The question shook Keitaro out of his thoughts.

"Yes, of course. I doubt that I could do much worse than I did." Absently, Keitaro rapped his knuckles on the wooden railing of the footbridge. No need to tempt the Fates, after all, and Keitaro was a little superstitious.

"So all you have to do is just study for the next exam in… eleven months." Keitaro mentally cringed at the thought. He could just imagine having to join a cram school and go through the rigors of studying for the exam again, all the while dealing with his parents tip-toeing around him and Kanako trying to bed him.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret here Urashima-san… I used to date your aunt Haruka back when we were both in school. She gave me a call to see if I could help you study for the next exam, but I had to turn her down." Seta glanced over at Keitaro, who was now looking at him in curiosity. "The reason I had to do that is because I'm going to be out of the country for a year on an archeology expedition in the Gulf of Thailand. She also told me about some of the troubles that you are having with your family, and I kinda get the feeling you want to get away from things for a while."

"Perhaps," was all that Keitaro said, wondering how much his aunt had told her former boyfriend about what had happened almost two months ago.

"Part of the job of organizing for an expedition is hiring people to help out with all the grunt work that takes place on something like this. It doesn't pay very well, and most Todai students don't like to take jobs like this unless they are archeology graduate students. The students that are available this year have all been picked up by other projects, so I'm looking for people to hire. I called your house to talk to you, and they said you had come out to Todai today, so I came out here looking for you."

Keitaro's mind was rapidly turning. Seta's job offer sounded interesting, but the thought of leaving Japan for a year was more than a little daunting.

"In the case of someone like you, I would be able to do what your aunt had originally wanted and tutor you for the Todai exam. That plus the recommendation I would give you if you do well on the mock exams would almost guarantee that you would pass the test and be accepted." It was almost as though Seta could read his mind, and Keitaro's eyes flicked up to the professor, visibly considering the offer.

"You don't have you give me an answer right now, but I do have to know by the end of this week so that I can start the paperwork with the administration." Seta dug into his inside coat pocket and produced a battered business card case, pulling out a card and handing it to Keitaro, who glanced down at the card for a long moment before looking back at the professor.

"Did Haruka tell you what happened during my… incident?" Keitaro did not want to get his hopes up only to have someone have a problem with what had occurred in the fight. He was barely coming to grips with that fact that he had taken a life and permanently crippled others, and he also knew that most people would not react well to that.

"She told me that a bunch of biker bozos tried to kidnap your kid sister, and that you laid waste to them. And yes, I know what happened to the last one you fought." Seta looked Keitaro and visibly made a decision. "Here is the first lesson from your sensei, if you chose to take this job.

"There are some people in this world that believe that all human life is precious, that you should do your utmost to protect and preserve it. But what they forget is that not all human life is equal to each other, and it's not where they were born or the color of their skin or how much money they have that determines how important they are, but their actions. You can be of the noblest birth, of the richest family, but if all you do is waste money and go to clubs and act like an idiot, does that still mean that you are worth more than the little old nun doing her best to feed and take care of the sick in the slums? Is the single mother working two jobs to feed her children worth less that the young drug dealer and robber down the street?

"Sometimes you have to decide whose life is worth more. And I can tell you this, Urashima-san, the life of an innocent is always worth more than that of a criminal. Never forget that." The serious look on Seta's face shifted back to the slight smile he had before. "And here ends the lesson. Hope to hear from you soon, Urashima-san." Giving a head nod, Seta turned and walked off, pulling a cigarette from a pack and lighting it up with a Zippo as he walked off, leaving Keitaro to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>"I didn't think that the job would consist of this, Seta-sensei," Keitaro remarked as he looked down at the paperwork covering the desk in front of him.<p>

In the end, it had taken him three days to make his decision. He had spoken with his parents, and while they were not happy that he would be leaving the country, they were pleased that he was doing something constructive that would also help with his preparations for the next exam. Aunt Haruka had confirmed that Seta's offer was on the up and up, and also told him that while the Todai professor was a bit flaky at times, he was an intelligent and competent scholar who would help him a great deal in his studies. About the only person not happy with the impending job was Kanako, and the reason why was understandable, even if Keitaro was hoping against hope that she would get over her crush on him while he was away.

Calling Seta at the number listed on his card on Thursday afternoon, Keitaro was surprised to hear him pick up the phone himself, as he had been expecting to just leave a message at a voicemail box. Being told to come in the next morning to start on the paperwork, Keitaro appeared early Friday morning, wearing a shirt, tie, and slacks, and therefore looking overdressed compared to the students walking around the campus, let alone his new boss, who looked like he had slept in the crumpled shirt and slacks under his white lab coat.

Being told immediately to take off the tie and unbutton the collar before Seta became stifled just by looking at him, Keitaro was parked at a desk in the Archeology office and had a six inch stack of paperwork dropped in front of him. Most of the documents were what he expected, such as job application, school history, health history, and work history, but the lower he got in the stack, the more esoteric the paperwork became. The criminal background check was something of a surprise, but after previously talking with the prosecuting attorney at the end of the investigation of the fight at the train station, he knew that his record was clean, with the fight and the results of it being determined to be justified and that he was not criminally or civilly liable.

It was the last form that had surprised Keitaro the most. He had expected that his job would consist of paperwork, of heavy lifting, of digging through the dirt to find pottery shards and what not. He had not expected that he would carry guns on the job, however, and therefore have to fill out the paperwork to possess and carry firearms, which in Japan was only slightly easier to do than to get an immediate audience with the Emperor.

"Well, Part-timer, we had to combine some jobs in order to have enough funding for the expedition," Seta replied from his pile of paperwork at the desk across from him, using his new nickname for Keitaro, since he was working for him effective immediately and he was not a faculty member. "Given the location of the site, we have to have security personnel on hand, but we can't afford to pay for both them and the assistants we need for the job. So I was able to convince the dean of the department that we can combine the two types of jobs. There are going to be three contract labor jobs on the trip, plus whatever locals we can hire with what's left of the funding. You are going to be the one Japanese we are hiring for the job, the others are foreigners I've worked with before."

"Contract labor?" asked Keitaro. He had seen the term on the paperwork, but no one had explained what it meant.

"Because we're a university expedition, it would look bad if we officially hired armed security, especially since most of the time the men we hire are what are legally known as private security contractors. In reality, they are what used to be known as mercenaries. So they are hired under the title 'contract labor' so that the more squeamish members of the school administration don't get all bent out of shape. It's kinda like when some of the aid agencies in Africa hire security from the local militias, and they ride in those Toyota pickup trucks with the heavy machine guns in the back. The aid agencies don't want it to be publicly known that they are paying gunmen to protect them, so they paid them with 'technical assistance grants' The money was used to pay for the trucks, so they became known as 'technicals', and it stuck. Same deal here." Seta grinned at Keitaro from across the desks. "Welcome to the wonderful world of contract labor."

"Yay." Keitaro's voice was lacking in enthusiasm as he proceeded to fill out the last form, the application to authorize him to possess firearms. "Only problem is I've never been trained on guns, just hand to hand and with some traditional weapons."

"Not a problem. I know some people that are pretty spun up on light military weapons. We have a couple months to go before we leave for Thailand, so you can get the training done and receive your permits by the time we have to leave. Any other training you need the other contractors can give you out on the job."

"And how, oh wise sensei, will I be able to get access to weapons in Japan?" Keitaro skipped over the section of the form with the sticky note that said that the serial numbers of the weapons would be filled in later before finally signing and dating the back of the form.

"Fear not, young student, ask and you shall receive." Seta picked up the completed stack of paperwork and tapped it on the desk, straitening the edges. "Let me run this paperwork through the administration and then I'll go to my friend in the National Police. He'll get you a provisional permit and then you can start your training next week."

"So soon?" Keitaro was impressed at the speed that his new boss would have his paperwork processed. He had not imagined he would get a provisional permit so quickly.

"It pays to have low friends in high places." Seta smiled at Keitaro. "Go ahead and take off; be back here on Monday at eight am, and for your sakes and mine, don't dress up again, it makes me feel like a total slacker. Jeans and a work or t-shirt are fine." Seta stood up, and Keitaro did as well. "See you later, Part-timer."

"Have a good day, Seta-sensei." Keitaro replied, following his boss out of the office and down the hall.

* * *

><p>"Coffee, two creams only." Keitaro glanced up at the waitress at the outdoor café as he finished giving his order. "And a ham and cheese croissant, please." The waitress gave a short nod before picking up the menu and leaving for the kitchen.<p>

It had been a hectic week so for the new part-timer. Upon showing up at the faculty office on Monday, Seta had put him to work immediately, after a quick instruction period on dealing with archeological artifacts (the short and dirty version was to never touch them with bare hands, treat them like they are made of spun glass, and always identify and tag them). After that, Keitaro helped Seta make an inventory of various artifacts in a stack of boxes from a previous expedition before transporting them to a storage facility that bore more than a little resemblance to the warehouse at the end of the _Raiders__ of __the __Lost __Ark_ movie. Keitaro would not have been surprised to hear humming come from one of the old dusty crates stacked five high around him.

By Thursday afternoon, Keitaro was familiar enough with the cataloging process to be working by himself in both the faculty office and workroom, and in the storage facility. A majority of the time the work consisted of checking artifact tags against a master list and then rolling them down to the warehouse and storing them there, logging the type, serial number and location of the artifacts in a registry database on an ancient computer that was still somewhat functional. But when Keitaro came back to the office at the end of the day, he was surprised to see Seta waiting for him, his feet up on a desk while reading a magazine, his ever-present lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

_previous day_

"Hey there Part-timer, how's it going?" The older male lowered his magazine to look at his subordinate, taking a drag from his cigarette without using his hands and exhaling the smoke through his nose.

"I finished the Pararakelse Island inventory and logged them into the main department database. I swear, the computer they have in the warehouse must be older than I am." Keitaro dropped into the desk chair opposite Seta, knowing that his boss literally did not stand on ceremony. "Do you want me to start on another inventory, Seta-sensei?"

"I'll have you know that that computer was new when I was attending Todai, and I'm not that much older than you." Seta smiled crookedly around his cigarette. "No, I have something else for you to do tomorrow." The professor reached into his coat, pulled out a small leather folder and tossed it toward his subordinate, who snatched it out of the air before opening it. His unsmiling face greeted him on one of the two identification cards contained within, the first card being a security officer ID card and the other card a National Police Agency provisional permit to possess and carry firearms.

Keitaro looked back at his boss. "That was pretty fast, sensei, especially considering I don't have any actual training."

Seta smirked at him. "That is what is coming up next, Part-timer. Starting tomorrow, you are going to start your basic instruction on firearms. You will do the book stuff tomorrow and start the hands-on training on Monday. So please do me a favor and don't act like some gun-crazy otaku and blow body parts off yourself or the instructors, will you? I'm calling in some major markers to get you this instruction."

"What kind of markers?" Keitaro pulled the gun permit card, looked at the back and blinked – where the serial number, models and types of weapons were to be listed, all that was printed were the words 'unrestricted pistol and rifle, non-explosives'.

"Well, obviously I had a rush put on your application to get your permits this fast. Then I had to get certified instructors to give you the training. I had to go to their bosses and have them give them paid time off their regular job and access to the training facilities. So you will get a week of concentrated training next week and some weekend training after that. You will meet Tsujimoto-kun tomorrow in Sumida Ward, get spun up in the theoretical stuff on Friday, and on Monday go to the SAT facility for the actual marksman and tactical training."

"SAT… These are police trainers?" The Special Attack Team was the Japanese version of the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) teams made famous by police in America.

"Yep. Don't worry, Tsujimoto-kun and Kobayawaka-san are a lot more cuddly than the last cops you had to deal with." As a result of the criminal background check Keitaro had to complete, Seta knew about the hostile interrogation he was subjected to before he was released and cleared of wrongdoing in the train station fight.

"I'll take your word for it. Where am I supposed to meet these guys again?" Keitaro put the gun permit back in the leather folder and tucked it in his shirt pocket, buttoning it shut for good measure.

"Some cafe in Sumida Ward. I have the address written down here somewhere," Seta rooted around on his disorganized desk for a moment, creating more chaos before he ripped a piece of paper off a notepad and passed it to Keitaro. "Be there at 8:00 AM, they already know your name and what you look like. Go ahead and take off, you're done for today."

"How will I know who they are?" Keitaro stood up and put the slip of paper in the same pocket as the ID folder.

Seta's smile, if possible, became even more crooked. "Trust me, they are going to be the only people looking for you there. If you have to, ask to see their police ID. Remember, their names are Tsujimoto and Kobayawaka. Call in to my office at the end of every day and keep track of your hours so you get paid for them."

"Okay. Tsujimoto and Kobayawaka." Keitaro repeated the names to set them in his mind. "I'll call you tomorrow then, Seta-sensei."

_next day_

Keitaro was looking at his watch as he finished eating his croissant. It was now ten minutes past eight, and no one had shown up at the café who looked like a police officer. In fact, the only people he had seen around the cafe were salarymen and college student aged people. Checking the address on the paper he had received from Seta, he confirmed that he was in the right place before he sighed and picked up his coffee cup to drain it. He would wait another ten minutes before leaving to call Seta; it was not like he was in a rush or anything.

"Hi there! Are you Urashima-san?" A female asked in a loud voice, startling him and almost causing him to drop his cup. Turning, Keitaro saw that two young women were standing behind him. One had collar length brownish hair and was wearing cargo shorts, a t-shirt, an overshirt, and hiking boots while the other one had longer coal black hair that was braided and pinned up, and was wearing slacks, a blouse and vest, and comfortable walking shoes. Both of them looked to be older than Keitaro, but not by much, not that he could tell by looks alone. There were quite a few Japanese woman out there in their late twenties that looked to be just out of their teens.

"Yes, I'm Keitaro Urashima. Can I help you?" He carefully put down the coffee cup.

"Sorry we're late, we couldn't find parking near here, and Ms Worrywart here didn't want to park in a red zone." The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"We're not supposed to use the official placard unless we're working." The darker haired girl replied calmly. "May we sit down?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead." Keitaro came to his feet as the two women pulled out the chairs in front and beside him and sat down, with him following suit a moment later. "I was expecting to meet someone here, but are you sure you found the right person?" Urashima was not that common a name, but it was not rare either.

"You are if you are the Keitaro Urashima that is working for Noriyasu Seta at Todai." The brown haired girl replied. "We're the one that are going to be training you for your contract labor job."

"Um… no offense, but can you tell me your names? And show me your work ID?" Keitaro found it hard to believe that two girls that looked like they were in college were certified firearms instructors.

"Sure…" The brown haired girl rolled her eyes again while digging in her shoulder bag, while the darker haired girl reached into her purse with a polite smile. They both produced leather ID folders and opened them, showing identical Tokyo Metro Police badges and ID cards, each card showing a picture of its bearer in uniform. "I'm Natsumi Tsujimoto and that's Miyuki Kobayawaka. We're police officers assigned to Patrol Division at Botuko Station here in Sumida Ward. We're the ones that are going to do your firearms and tactical training for your job in Thailand."

* * *

><p><em>AN – As you may have noticed, this is set almost two years prior to the previous story arc. I decided to show what happened after the fight at the train station, and to show how Keitaro was hired by Seta to go on the Thailand expedition. Writing how Keitaro was trained by Natsumi and Miyuki from **You****'****re ****Under ****Arrest!** will be the icing on the cake. *g* For those that are curious as to their time line, this is after Natsumi was accepted and trained by SAT, was sent along with Miyuki on an exchange program with the Los Angeles Police Department (the thought of those two in my hometown gives me the shivers) and then returned to Patrol at Bokuto. Who knows, there may be a chance for some romance, sober or otherwise, at this time. Reader thoughts are requested. *g* BTW, Natsumi and Miyuki will probably be somewhat out of canon character in this story._

_I was kinda surprised that I did not get a lot of feedback regarding Keitaro's fight with the bosozoku at the train station. I wanted to show a realistic lives-are-on-the-line fight by one guy against multiple opponents, but I didn't want to get too graphic either. Any thoughts on that is appreciated as well._

_The police interrogation that Keitaro was subjected to is not that uncommon in Japan, even today. While I did push the limit as to the physical abuse he received, it is legal to hold a criminal suspect for up to 48 hours before being told what they are being charged with and their right to a lawyer, and it is possible to hold someone with court approval for almost three weeks without contact with family or legal counsel._

_Many thanks to PCH and AZ MII for betaing this story.  
><em>

_As of 29Nov2011 0000 PST, this story has over 107K words, 99,951 hits, 217 Reviews, 22 C2 listings, 341 Favorite Story listings and 302 Story Alert listings. Thanks guys. *thumbs up*_


	25. Chapter 25

Ch 25

V 1.5

_Tokyo Metro Police Academy  
>Chofu, Tokyo<br>Twenty-two months ago_

"Fire at the sound of the timer…"

Hearing a loud beep, Keitaro's right hand took a firm hold of the Glock 19 pistol and drew it from the kydex holster on his right hip. Pulling the pistol straight up until it cleared the holster, he dropped his elbow downwards to press against his side, causing the muzzle of the pistol to rotate so it was pointing forward. Pushing the handgun forward and up, his left hand that had been pressed against his chest met the hand holding the pistol and began to press against it, the two hands coming to a stop as the Glock reached eye level. All of this took a little more than half a second.

Making sure that the luminous sights were properly aligned, Keitaro's trigger finger moved from the frame of the pistol where it had automatically gone into the trigger guard and started to smoothly press against the trigger. Taking up the slack, he then applied two and a half kilograms of pressure until the pistol was a hair's width away from firing. Simultaneously making sure the sights were still aligned with the target, he continued the trigger pull until the Glock went off, firing a 9mm bullet and sending it racing downrange and through the target center.

Pausing for a instant, Keitaro then carefully let the trigger go forward under the pressure of his finger, until he felt the click of the trigger resetting, signifying that the pistol was ready to fire. Again he pressed back on the trigger until the handgun fired, and then rotated at the hips, swinging his upper body toward the next target. Aligning his sights on the new target Keitaro fired two rounds, the two gunshots coming so close together they almost sounded as if it they were one. Moving over to the last target, Keitaro put two rounds in the center before coming to a halt. Carefully looking around him while the Glock was still pointed toward the three targets, he made sure there were no threats to the sides or behind him before slowly and carefully reholstering his pistol.

"Excellent job, Taro-kun. That run was 3.9 seconds, half a second faster than the last." Natsumi Tsujimoto said with a smile. The brown haired police officer was wearing black tactical pants, boots, a black t-shirt with a red emblem for HK Firearms and was holding a shooting timer. A Glock and spare mags were holstered on her belt as well. "Your splits at the end were a quarter second apart, so you are getting to the level of a competitive shooter. You could probably get even faster if you continued practicing."

Keitaro gave a half-smile while reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Doubt it, Natsumi-san. I don't have the money to buy the amount of ammo necessary to do that." He gestured toward the empty and half empty ammo boxes that were sitting on the counter beside them.

* * *

><p><em>before<em>

When the _ronin_ had met the two police women at the café the week before, he did not believe they were certified firearm instructors. He had been disabused of that notion in short order when they had gone over their plans for training him. Miyuki Kobayawaka, the darker haired officer, had helpfully told him he was to learn everything a regular police officer would be taught in the Academy, but instead of having six months to learn it, he would have one week. At the sight of Keitaro blinking repeatedly in disbelief, Natsumi merely smirked and joking asked if he liked the smell of gun smoke, because he would be breathing in a lot of it.

That first day, they had driven over to a building that Keitaro later found out was an evidence lock-up. Taking Keitaro inside along with them, Miyuki showed a uniformed officer some paperwork and then lead Keitaro into a heavily secured room that looked like the scene from the first_Matrix_film where Neo had said _'__I__ need __guns__' _and suddenly wall-sized racks of weapons appeared.

Guiding the younger man to a table, the two women brought over a dozen different types of handguns and had Keitaro pick up each type, checking for hand fit, ease of control operation and pointability. After about 15 minutes, Keitaro had settled on a Glock 19 in 9mm caliber, a compact polymer and steel pistol with a reputation for reliability and accuracy. Putting the other handguns away, the officers then picked out five high capacity magazines, capable of holding 15 rounds each, a cleaning kit for the pistol, and a carrying case. As the officers were packing this all up, he was told that the weapons they had shown him had all been seized from a gunrunner's operation, and the ones that were not held for police use were to be shredded and destroyed in a steel mill.

Going over to another room in the building, Miyuki showed another officer the paperwork, but this officer insisted on calling to verify his orders. After about ten minutes and some arguing with someone on the other side of a phone call, the officer finally and reluctantly let them into an armored room, which turned out to contain stacked cases of ammunition.

Borrowing a hand truck, Keitaro helped the police women load up four cases of 9mm FMJ ammo, two thousand rounds total. Natsumi then grabbed two cases of 5.56mm rifle ammo totaling one thousand rounds and then tossed four fifty round boxes of 9mm hollow-point ammo on top of that.

Waving merrily to the frowning officer on the door, the three loaded the cases of ammo into the trunk of Miyuki's Toyota sports car, causing it to visibly sink down on its springs. With Keitaro in the back seat clutching his knapsack, Miyuki peeled out of the parking lot… or tried to, given that the car had a hundred pounds in the trunk in addition to the near-full load of passengers to carry.

Driving over to a small building on the Police Academy campus, the trio unloaded their new acquisitions from the car and brought them inside to what was apparently an armory. Locking the ammo up, the pair of police women then took Keitaro to a classroom, put him in a chair, and with Miyuki standing the whiteboard with a marker, began to list the subjects he would be studying in his training.

This day's starting lesson was the use of force and firearms in Japan, which was absolutely necessary to anyone carrying a gun. Taking a little less than an hour to go over and with Keitaro taking detailed notes without prompting, the _ronin_ was able to memorize and learn what was needed, which was tested in a no-note pop quiz at the end of the lesson, which Keitaro passed with flying colors.

After that, Keitaro was given a crash course in tactical first aid. When he asked why this was required when he had studied first aid in school, Natsumi had replied with a straight face, "Not with gunshot and knife wounds you haven't." Another hour was spend covering penetrating trauma, laceration wounds, slash type wounds, heavy arterial bleeding, and how to treat them with bandages, pressure, and ultimately tourniquets and hemostatic packets like Quikclot. Keitaro's face had turned slightly green at the pictures in the book that Miyuki had showed, but he passed that section as well. Thankfully, it did not affect his appetite, so he was able to eat one of the sandwiches that Natsumi had bought at a corner convenience store for all three of them.

That afternoon, the next item in the syllabus was the care and feeding of firearms in general and Glock pistols in particular. Here Keitaro was shown how to field-strip and clean his pistol. Miyuki told him that at this time he would not have to detail-strip his handgun into itty bitty pieces, but he would be shown later and given a DVD to study so that he could do simple maintenance and part replacement in the field, especially since he would be out in the outer edges of nowhere for his job, and the nearest trained armorer would be in Bangkok… maybe.

The last couple hours of the day was spent doing actual (unloaded) gun handling. After learning the basic rules of firearms (i.e. always treat guns as though they were loaded, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, never point a weapon at something you were not ready to destroy, and to always know what is behind your target in case you miss), Keitaro was given an orange plastic training pistol and went through a large cardboard box filled with different types of holsters, before he found one that fit his body type and concealed the pistol reasonably well. He was then was shown how to do a safe combat draw, and then had to practice it… dead slow. From start to finish, the two trainers were having him take 15 seconds for each draw, and then keep doing it over and over again. After watching him do it for ten minutes (which is a long time to do something as slow as that) while Natsumi corrected any small error they found, they had him stand in front of a target taped to a wall and keep practicing, letting him increase the speed so it was half normal speed. The reason for the slow speed draw was to engrain the motions into Keitaro's muscle memory, and doing a draw at half speed repeatedly for half an hour will certainly do that.

Finally the two taskmasters… mistresses… called an end to the day at about five pm. Taking the real pistol and locking it up, Natsumi and Miyuki told Keitaro to take the practice pistol and holster home and practice with it for half an hour a day during the weekend, in front of a mirror if possible, and in private preferably. Even with an orange practice pistol, some people would freak out at the sight of someone doing repeated draws from a holster. After that, they loaded him into the back of Miyuki's sports car again, and at Keitaro's insistence, took him to the train station rather than his home on the other side of Tokyo. Leaving him on the curb with his knapsack on his shoulder, he gave a wave as the two women roared off, turning to enter the station only to see that half of the males around him were giving him dirty looks. After a moment he realized why; he had just been dropped off by two very attractive women in a sports car… it looked more than a little tawdry. Mentally shrugging, he walked into the station to catch the next train home.

On Monday, the two female trainers picked Keitaro up at the train station, where he was waiting at the curb for them. Seeing that the top was down on the convertible sports car and at Natsumi's prodding, he tossed his bag in the back seat and gingerly crawled over the top of the door into the back seat, barely getting in the vehicle before Miyuki stomped on the gas and the car peeled off.

Once they got to the range, the trainers had Keitaro show his draw ten times in a row, still at half speed. Calling it 'acceptable' they then had him speed up his draw gradually, until half an hour and fifty plus draws later he was doing them at full speed… not to the point where world records would be broken, but still rather fast for a non-professional shooter.

Leading Keitaro to the firing line outside the armory, Natsumi gave him his pistol, and smiled when he immediately checked to make sure it was unloaded. Pointing him downrange, she then had him start to dry-fire the pistol, aiming at a target five meters away, every pull of the trigger resulting in a 'click' as the firing pin struck the empty chamber. After each trigger pull, Keitaro pulled back slightly the slide of the pistol, resetting the trigger since no round had been fired to produce the recoil that worked the side and reset the trigger automatically. While he did this, Natsumi made sure his pistol was steady, that the sights were properly aligned and that he was not flinching or jerking as he pulled the trigger.

After 15 minutes of dry-fire came the moment of truth. Tapping Keitaro on the shoulder with ear muff hearing protectors, Natsumi waited until he put them on before handing him a loaded magazine, and with a slight smile gave the order "With one full magazine, lock and load your weapon." Watching as he did just that by locking the full mag into the pistol and chambered a round before facing downrange. Seeing he was ready, Natsumi stood right behind him to the right, and in a clear voice called out, "At my command, fire one round at the center of the target… Weapon at high ready…" Seeing that Keitaro was now aiming the Glock at the target, Natsumi finally gave the command. "Fire!"

Keitaro slowly pulled the trigger and the pistol went off, the round impacting in the center area of the target, but not in the bulls eye area. Seeing him lifting his head from peering at the sights to see where he hit, Natsumi lightly thwacked him on the shoulder and called out "Focus on the sights! You wanna see where you hit, look though the sights!" Seeing he was now doing so, she called out "Ready… Fire!" Waiting until he brought the pistol down from the moderate recoil, she gave the command again and again, until finally the slide of the pistol locked open, showing that the magazine and the pistol were empty. Seeing this, Natsumi called out, "Make your weapon safe and holster!" After Keitaro slowly released the slide and put the handgun back in the belt holster, Natsumi smiled and nudged him on the shoulder, saying to him, "Now you can look."

Looking at the target, it appeared as though someone had fired a shotgun blast of buckshot at the target. The figure of the target had 12 of the 15 shots scattered throughout the chest and stomach area, and a couple were just outside the outline of the target. Only one round had gone into the center chest area where the heart would be.

"Not bad, Taro-kun… but we are going to make you better." Natsumi smiled at her student, who cautiously smiled back.

Natsumi was a woman of her word. After some coaching and some four hours of firing roughly 500 rounds of ammo, Keitaro reduced his group from torso-sized to fist-sized, to where holding his fist in front of the large jagged hole would cover it. As lunch was coming up, Keitaro took his break, again eating a store sandwich while listening to the two police women talk about various cases they had dealt with. Most of them were highly amusing, dealing as they did with people and incidents that occurred while they were assigned to Traffic Division at Botuko Station, including the ongoing war Natsumi had with the crazed baseball-throwing vigilante known as Strikeman.

After lunch, Natsumi had Keitaro practice shooting controlled pairs, two rapid accurate shots, telling him that 9mm Parabellum ammo was marginal in actual combat use, especially since FMJ (full metal jacket – solid point) ammo had the tendency to pass through people and not transfer it's energy to the target and knock them down. In that spirit, she showed him the Mozambique Drill, where the shooter put two rounds in the target's center mass and then one round in the target's head. To make things interesting, she taped index cards to the target and told Keitaro that the cards were the aiming points, and misses were to be counted against him. He was able to mostly hit the cards by shooting relatively slowly, but at Natsumi's and Miyuki's pushing, and later teasing, he was able to get his speed back up after another 500 rounds or so, while also practicing combat reloads of depleted magazines with full ones. While doing all this, he was switched from a single target to three targets side by side on wooden stands and practiced moving from one target to another. When Keitaro asked why three targets, Natsumi lightly replied that if he faced more than three armed bad guys in a line in front of him, chances were that he was going to suffering from an acute case of lead poisoning by the time he got to number four.

At about four pm, Keitaro was pulled off the line and taken to a workbench in the armory. Slowly, but with no help from the watching trainers, he was able to field-strip his pistol and clean off the residue of the 1000 rounds he had fired through it. Miyuki told him there had been Glock pistols that had fired more than 100,000 rounds without maintenance, but regular cleaning lessened the chances of a malfunction, plus he would be working in a tropical and humid environment, and corrosion and gunk in and on a firearm never ended well. After Keitaro reassembled the pistol, it was locked up again in the armory, and the trio of shooters once again got in Miyuki's sport car and with Keitaro hanging on in the back seat roared off through traffic before dropping him off at the train station again. Before the trainers left Natsumi told Keitaro to wear a long tropical style shirt the next day. Seeing him nod an affirmative, the women drove off, and Keitaro turned to see that he was getting the evil eye from men standing nearby again. An eyebrow quirked upwards before he simply turned and walked into the station again.

Wednesday was more of the same from the day before, only the trainers had Keitaro wear his tropical shirt untucked over his pistol, and had him practice drawing his pistol from concealment. After 30 minutes of slow draw with the orange practice pistol and then full speed draw with his triple checked empty real Glock on the firing line, they had him do dry fire and then live fire. After that, they repeated the shooting course from the day before, only now Keitaro was drawing his pistol from under his shirt before firing. Once he got this down, Natsumi and Miyuki showed Keitaro how to shoot on the move, which consisted mostly in being in a slight crouch while his feet moved in a sliding shuffle so he would not trip or stumble over anything as he moved either forward or backwards. By the end of the day, Keitaro had fired something in the neighborhood of 800 rounds in the space of six hours, the only delay being how fast they could reload the pistol magazines.

While Keitaro was cleaning his gun at the end of the day, Natsumi brought up the fact that it was a shame that they did not have more time for training, since she would have liked to have shown Keitaro some CQB (Close Quarter Battle) hand to hand techniques. When she asked him what if he had any martial arts experience, Keitaro, being naturally modest, replied that he had studied some ju-jitsu and judo, but did not mention his rankings in them. So when Natsumi produced the orange practice pistol to show him how to prevent a gun takeaway, she got a shock as Keitaro was able not only to hang onto the pistol, but peel her hands from the replica gun and throw her back. Getting her dander up, Natsumi moved them over to a practice mat and started to try and do the takeaway again, only this time Keitaro was not only able to get the gun out of her hands, he did a modified judo hip throw that resulted in both Keitaro and Miyuki staring down at her as she lay flat on her back on the mat. With a huff, Natsumi got up and tried again… and again… and again… each time winding up on her back with the Urashima standing over her, a slightly apologetic look on his face. Natsumi realized the only way that would be able to take down Keitaro was be if she used her full _chi_ reinforced strength and land a solid hit, but as annoyed as she was to be tossed around like a white belt, she was not going to risk hurting someone in practice.

Finally getting the full extent of his martial arts skills out of him, Natsumi decided to just show Keitaro the techniques to prevent a gun takeaway, not that he really needed them with his training. She also showed him how to disarm someone holding a pistol on him, and here she was surprised too. Natsumi knew that most people could do a takeaway faster than the person holding the pistol could react, but Keitaro was almost unreal. If he was within arm's reach of someone holding a gun on him, he could get it away from them before they realized it.

As Keitaro was getting ready to leave for the day, Natsumi instructed him to leave his holster on. Seeing him blink in confusion, she took the practice pistol and shoved it in the holster before pulling his shirt over it. Telling him he had to practice concealed carry, he was ordered to carry the orange pistol concealed and not let anyone realize or know that he was carrying. Hesitantly, Keitaro agreed, but as the three walked out to Miyuki's car he heard Natsumi muttering under her breath about the unfairness of a civilian with a weapon permit being able to carry a concealed handgun at any time while she was not allowed to do so off-duty and only when necessary on-duty, which was rare enough.

Carefully climbing out of the car at the train station and watching them drive off, Keitaro was very aware of the practice pistol pressed into his side under the shirt. The shirt was of thick enough material that the bright plastic could not be seen through the fabric, but he felt as though there was a neon sign under his shirt blinking 'Gun Here!' Remembering that this was training, and that Miyuki had told him that the sensation would pass, he turned toward the station again, only to see the nearby men glaring at him yet again. Keitaro stared back at them for a moment before he finally gave into his mischievous side and flipped them a jaunty (military style) salute before entering the station again.

The trip home that evening and going in on Thursday morning was interesting, as Keitaro had to navigate the notoriously crowded public transit system while carrying his practice pistol. After a few close calls where people brushed up against his pistol side on the train home, he learned he had to keep his arm relatively close to his torso, but he had the feeling that it would look kind of odd always having his right arm next to his waist. So once he got home, Keitaro got on the internet and looked into concealed carry, and not surprisingly, he found some American web sites that gave techniques and hints to carry without being obvious. It was there that he learned that the way most criminals gave away that they were carrying weapons was that they were not used to it, and therefore had specific tells and behaviors that most experienced police officers could pick up on. Always 'guarding' a weapon with a hand or forearm, or adjusting it if it shifted were the two biggest tells. Keeping that in mind, Keitaro was able to make some small adjustments to how he wore his belt and holster to where the pistol was comfortable, steady, and not easily visible unless the entire shirt came up.

Getting ready the next morning, Keitaro made some adjustments to what he wore. Where he would normally wear slacks and a button-down shirt when out of the house, today he decided to forego it for blue jeans, trainers, a dark blue undershirt, and an Okinawan _kariyusi_ shirt he had received one year from Granny Hina as a present, a square bottomed open collared short sleeve shirt that was worn untucked and therefore concealed the pistol and holster neatly. This one was dark green with small red and green watermelons printed across the cotton fabric.

Waiting at the curb of the train station with his bag slung over his shoulder, Keitaro was looking at his watch. Miyuki and Natsumi were twenty minutes late, apparently due to the heavy traffic common to Tokyo. It was no big deal to him, but sooner or later he would have to find a pay phone to call Seta-sensei for instructions, as the Police Academy was a little too out of the way for him to go to on his own, plus he would need to be with one of the trainers to be admitted.

Hearing the squeal of rubber on asphalt, Keitaro was barely able to make himself stand in place as Miyuki's Toyota convertible slid through three lanes of traffic before coming to a halt at the curb next to Keitaro. Seeing Natsumi behind the wheel and Miyuki hanging onto the dashboard with white knuckles, he could feel a sweatdrop forming on the back of his head.

"Hey, Taro-kun! Sorry we're late, let's go! We've got places to go and people to do!" Natsumi called out cheerfully, unaware of her mangling the saying and the odd looks everyone was giving them. Looking around, Keitaro could see that the afternoon spectacle of men giving him dirty looks was occurring now as well.

"Natsumi-san, why are you driving Miyuki-san's car?" The darker haired trainer did not look happy that her partner was behind the wheel.

"Miyuki-chan lost a bet with me this morning on who would finish first, that's why we're late. Come on, let go!" Natsumi gunned the engine of the souped-up drop-top.

Looking over at Miyuki again and seeing she now had a slight blush on her face, Keitaro gave a mental sigh and tossed his bag into the back seat, and after carefully hitching up his jeans, jumped into the back seat and braced himself as the brown haired trainer stomped the gas and burned rubber, leaving the crowd on the curb to stare after the fishtailing car.

That morning was spent with Keitaro refining his pistol technique. Two hundred rounds were sent downrange to service the targets as the young _ronin_ moved from one side of the range to another. Just to make things interesting, the trainers would load dummy rounds among the real rounds in Keitaro's magazines so that he would practice 'failure drills', when for whatever reason the pistol failed to fire. He had been taught the 'tap rack bang' drill on the first day on the firing line, but hearing about it was not quite the same as being in the middle of a firing string and hearing your pistol go 'click' instead of 'bang!' When Keitaro asked what he could do if the malfunction was a real non-clearable jam instead of one of the three normal malfunctions, Natsumi told him semi-seriously that he could throw the jammed pistol at the attacker's face and either rush them and take them out hand to hand, or run away as fast as he could, because either way he was screwed. Otherwise it would be a good idea to carry a backup firearm like American cops did or to carry and use a knife like most soldiers.

When the afternoon came around, the reason for Natsumi's and Miyuki's late arrival that morning was explained. Dragging out a long black plastic case out of the trunk of the car, Natsumi flipped it open to show an assault rifle. With her compatriot holding it and gesturing like an arms convention spokesmodel, Miyuki went to the whiteboard again and started lecture two of the care and feeding of firearms series – M4A2 carbine version. The trainer told Keitaro that they had borrowed the carbine from SAT so that he would be familiarized with military type rifles, but that he would unfortunately not get the same in-depth training that he got with his Glock.

Given that he was familiar with firearms handling now, it did not take long to finish the lecture portion and move to the firing line. With Miyuki filling the 30 round magazines as fast as she could with stripper clips, Natsumi and Keitaro went to town with the carbine, trading the weapon back and forth between the two of them, quickly transitioning from static position firing to multiple targets to firing on the move. Six hundred rounds went downrange in three hours before the trainers called an end to the training and Keitaro learned the most disliked part of using the M16/M4 weapon system – cleaning the rifle after use. Given the way that combustion gas from the round being fired was used to work the action of the rifle, there was a lot of soot and caked carbon residue that needed to be wiped, scrubbed, and scraped out to make sure the weapon operated correctly.

Being dropped off at the end of the day at the train station, Keitaro watched the trainers drive off before he turned to see the now traditional glaring of the people around him. But given that he had now figured out why he was getting the dirty looks, Keitaro just smirked at them, made a show of taking a deep breath and brushing off his clothes and running a hand through his short hair, and made his way through the jealous crowd.

Friday was the last day of the week of training that Keitaro was receiving. Here he received some of the more esoteric training that members of SAT received, such as moving around corners without getting shot or having his weapon taken away, passing through a doorway without becoming a massive target, and operating in low light conditions. Keitaro had known that the sights on his Glock had tritium inserts, but he had not realized how much of a difference it would make until Miyuki had cut most of the lights on the indoor firing line and all he could see of his pistol was a faint outline, as well as three glowing green dots on top of it.

Low light training consisted of shooting both with and without handheld lights. Without lights was relatively simple, as all Keitaro had to do was line up the three glowing dots on top of his pistol and fire. However, when Keitaro had done a firing string in the dark with multiple targets and Miyuki had turned the lights on to show that one of the targets had a picture of a smiling schoolgirl taped to it, complete with a pair of bullet holes in her forehead, it reinforced what the trainers had taught him about making sure what he was shooting at before he pulled the trigger.

Shooting with a tactical light was more complex, as not only was Keitaro not holding his pistol in a two hand grip like he had before, he was now juggling a handheld light in his off-hand now. Natsumi had shown him the various ways to hold a tactical light, but the one that he was most comfortable with was the Harries technique, where he was holding the light with the bottom switch next to his thumb and the lens pointing out of the bottom of his fist. Crossing his hands so the back of his hands were pressed against each other, the light was parallel to the barrel of the pistol, and the position was not very different from the angled Weaver stance he had been taught.

Once Keitaro had gotten familiar with a tactical light grip, Natsumi had taught him the most important part of using it… not using it much at all. When he had asked about the contradiction of that, Natsumi had grinned and explained that leaving a tac light for more than a second at a time and not moving immediately afterwards, was an invitation to getting shot. Real life was not like the movies, where cops moved through darkened buildings with lights blazing… unless they were carrying the heavy 'body bunker' shields that had lights built into it to absorb the rounds that would inevitably come toward them. Even though tactical doctrine was to use the light for up to two seconds at a time, Natsumi and Miyuki recommended only a second at a time plus immediate movement afterwards, since any nitwit with a gun in the dark can spray rounds at a light within two seconds.

After lunch, the two trainers decided it was time for Keitaro's final exam. Setting up various targets on the empty range, the trainers had the _ronin_ run though various tactical scenarios, most of them at double time; drawing from concealment, engaging multiple targets, clearing staged malfunctions. The second part was more of the same, only he was doing it in a darkened range, with a tactical light available to use. Miyuki would stand behind Keitaro with a flashlight and illuminate target stands, and he would have to identify the threat and engage if needed, since a couple of the targets had non-hostile pictures taped to them. Finally Keitaro was given magazines loaded with the hot-loaded hollow-point ammo and shot controlled pairs and multiple shot strings at static targets, and his control was good enough that the shot groups did not stray outside the index cards taped to the targets.

* * *

><p><em>now<em>

"Congratulations, Keitaro-kun." Miyuki was standing beside her partner, wearing snug-fitting jeans, a grey t-shirt with a black emblem showing three arrow in a circle and the word 'Beretta' and a light black fabric vest over it. "You have now passed the basic SAT operator shooting test."

"SAT operator?" asked Keitaro in surprise. He knew that Natsumi had been trained by the Tokyo Police emergency response unit as an experiment, but due to 'political considerations' was not allowed to serve on it at this time. That had been the reason she had been shipped off to Los Angeles on an exchange program with her partner in crime, and while she had been running the elite Metro Unit ragged with her enthusiasm and strength (Natsumi could pull herself up a rope hand over hand, not using her legs or feet, while wearing full armor, tactical gear and weapons, something not even the most muscular SWAT officer could replicate) Miyuki had been assigned to the LAPD forensic unit to learn the newest and most advanced evidence detection and processing techniques.

"Yeah, you passed the test that's given to newbies when they join SAT and complete basic training. You aren't ready to storm a terrorist hideout all by your lonesome like some action hero, but with some more training you could get there. Right now you shoot better than 95% of the police officers in America." Natsumi said with a grin.

"Seriously?" Keitaro would have thought that most police officers would be excellent shots, or at least better than him after an, admittedly intense, week of training.

"Yep. Really ticked off the Metro officers at LAPD when I showed up. It annoyed them that a 165 cm Asian female qualified as High Expert the first time she shot for score at their range." Natsumi said with a short laugh. "Then they used me to scam other officers into betting that they could shoot better than me. Didn't have to pay for a single beer or dinner when we went out with the guys after that."

"Speaking of which, to celebrate the completion of your training, Natsumi-chan and I would like to invite you to dinner." Miyuki interjected. Seeing that Keitaro's eyes widened, she continued speaking. "It will be relatively simple, and it won't be a bother."

"Yeah, Taro-kun, it's tradition that newbies pay for the first round of drinks." Natsumi dropped an arm on Keitaro's shoulders, and mussed his hair with her free hand, or at least tried to, since it was a little too short to fall out of place.

"I can't drink yet, Natsumi-san…" Keitaro responded with the first thing that popped into his mind. The drinking age in Japan was 20, but as long as someone did not cause problems, the police was not really hard-nosed about it, which was only reasonable in the land of beer vending machines.

"I said *buy* the first round, not drink it. But if you are really really good, we might give you a sip." The brown haired trainer winked at him.

"Well… OK." Keitaro was never one to turn down a home cooked meal, especially after a week of convenience store sandwiches.

"Good! Lets pack up all this gear, and then we're off to the store!" Natsumi stepped away from the _ronin_ and turned toward the firing line. Drawing the pistol on her belt and quickly clearing it of ammunition, she waited until Keitaro did the same before taking hold of his arm and dragging him toward the armory. "Hurry, I'm hungry and Miyuki-chan makes a mean curry. Seriously, it will bring tears to your eyes." The darker haired trainer followed behind them, hitting the light switches to the range and dropping the room into darkness as she followed the pair out.

* * *

><p><em>AN – I know that this chapter is a little more technical than most people are used to, but I didn't want to do a handwave about how Keitaro went to Thailand with Seta and how he got his firearms skills that he winds up using there. His marital arts skills are explainable from his family training, but given that Japan has some serious gun control laws, the few people that have access to guns are the military and police officers. And given what research I have done about the Japanese police, I have the feeling that they operate the same way the British police do, with only certain specially trained officers carrying firearms. So Seta had to yank on some major strings to get Keitaro the training that he did, but that is all that it cost him. Having low friends in high places and knowing where the bodies are buried can help you get a lot done without spending a lot of money. In this case, Keitaro's new pistol is officially a transfer to a security contractor working for Todai, and the ammo was from 'surplus stocks' held by the police. Natsumi and Miyuki training Keitaro is a favor from their commanding officer to Seta, as the CO would like to have at least one quiet week every once in a while at Bokuto Division._

_As you may have noticed, I have set the stage for a lemon next chapter. What I will probably will do is post the lemon itself over at mediaminer, which is a lemon friendly fanfic website. Instruction on how to get to it will be given at that time._

_For those who are wondering when this arc will end and when the story will return to Keitaro, Tsuruko and the residents at the Hinata-sou, it will take place when Keitaro leaves for Thailand, in about two more chapters. To mollify the readers that have been waiting for the next arc, I can tell you that (minor spoilers) 1) Keitaro is not going to blow up at Tsuruko, as she is not the one responsible for Motoko's fate and 2) Keitaro will be receiving visitors that he will be happy to see – a father, daughter, and someone that helped them all out in a bad situation. (end spoilers)._

_Many thanks to AZ for grammar and technical assistance on this chapter, and PCH for grammar assistance as well._

_As of 13Dec11 0000 PST, this story has 108,762 hits, 228 Reviews, 25 C2 listings, 352 Favorite Story listings, and 318 Story Alerts. Thanks again to all the readers following this story. *thumbs up*_


	26. Chapter 26

Ch 26

V 2.0

_A/N 1 – There is a 4K word lemon that goes with this chapter, but due to FFN rules I don't want to risk posting it here; I know there are lots of lemons here, but I don't want to risk a possible suspension. When the chapter gets to that section of the story there will be instructions and a (corrected) web addy to where the lemon is posted. Any feedback should be done here at FFN, where they are easier to keep track of._

_Glossary:  
>Yamato Nadeshiko - idealized Japanese woman; think Kasumi Tendo from Ranma 12 or Belldandy from Ah My Goddess.  
>Tou-san – informal form of father; dad<br>Kaa-san – informal form of mother; mom_

* * *

><p><em>TsujimotoKoyabakawa Residence  
>Koto City, Tokyo, Japan<br>Twenty two months before  
><em>

"_Kampai_!"

With the traditional Japanese drinking cheer, all three diners around the low table took a deep drink of their beverages. Natsumi finished off the large cup of warm sake, while Miyuki sipped at her glass of plum wine. Keitaro was the only one with a non-alcoholic drink, hot tea in his case, but it had cooled off enough that he did not have to worry about scalding his mouth drinking it.

Keitaro was only slightly surprised to find out that the two police women lived in the same apartment, but when he thought about it, he realized he should not have been. Miyuki had moved to Tokyo from Okayama Prefecture to attend the Police Academy and once she was partnered with Natsumi, it made sense for the two to become roommates to save money in the notoriously expensive Tokyo metropolis.

Their apartment in Koto City was about what one would expect for two young women who did not make a lot of money. The main room was a combination of living room, dining room, and kitchen, with a room separated by shoji walls for sleeping and a combination water closet and shower off to the side. There were multiple bookshelves around the main room containing everything from auto repair manuals and firearms catalogs to video discs and paperback novels. The overall effect was that of neat but cluttered chaos.

Right now the three were sitting on cushions around a low table loaded with various dishes of food. As Miyuki had said earlier, dinner was relatively simple, but what she had not mentioned was how much of it there was. Keitaro was surprised to see the large bowls of rice with curry sauce, stir fried beef and veggies, and sliced pickles, but after watching Natsumi eat for a few minutes, he could see why the dark haired girl was used to cooking in large portions. Her partner ate like there was no tomorrow.

Given how much Natsumi was eating even now, Keitaro now understood why she was grabbing bags of chips and candy bars when they had stopped at a store to pick up some alcoholic beverages. However, Miyuki had calmly pulled most of the items from the arms of her pouting compatriot and left her with one bag of chips and two candy bars when they finally rang up their purchases at the register. She also left her with the six-pack of 12 ounce sake bottles, which along with a bottle of wine and a six-pack of diet soda had completed their purchases. As soon as the trio were back in the car, Natsumi had torn open the bag of chips and started scarfing them down as Miyuki started driving toward their apartment.

Once they got to their residence, Keitaro was parked at the dining table as the two ladies got to work. Moving with the wordless ease that spoke of long experience, Miyuki had put on a dark green apron and started preparing food and cooking, while Natsumi set up the dishes, cups, and utensils, and prepared the beverages for serving. After putting three of the sake bottles in a pot of water on the stove to warm up, Natsumi had given one of the diet sodas to Keitaro and then taken out a wine glass and put it on the counter. Filling it half way, she nudged Miyuki at the stove and passed the glass over without a word. Giving a smile in response, the dark haired girl took a sip from the glass before putting it down on the counter and returning her attention to the stir fry. Meanwhile, Natsumi had been casually speaking with Keitaro, asking him about his time at high school, seeming to be genuinely surprised to hear that Keitaro did not have much of a social life while attending school, but once the two girls heard about his dedicated studies in order to enter Todai, plus the martial arts training he had been involved in, they understood his reasoning, even if they did not quite agree. It was Natsumi's considered opinion that there was always time to have a hobby and have some fun.

After the table was set, Natsumi went into the sleeping area of the apartment and after a few minutes came out again. She was still wearing her HK t-shirt, but now she was wearing green cargo shorts and her feet were bare. Walking over to the stove, she deftly pulled one of the warming bottles of sake from the pot of water without getting in the way of her partner. Pouring the steaming beverage into a large ceramic cup, she took a sip and then started moving the bowls of food from the counter to the table. By the time she was done moving the previously prepared food, Miyuki had finished with the stir fry and had transferred it to a serving platter. Carrying it over to the dining table, without missing a beat she lightly slapped at Natsumi's hand as she reached for a piece of fried beef. "You can wait three more minutes, Natsumi-chan," Miyuki said calmly as she reached over to the counter and picked up her glass of wine. Taking another sip, she placed her glass on the table, took off her apron and then walked into the sleeping area, coming out a couple minutes later wearing black cargo shorts with the same t-shirt as before.

Walking over to the table, Miyuki made sure everyone's beverage was topped off before she gracefully lowered herself to the cushion beside the table. Looking up at her partner and their guest, she smiled warmly, murmuring "_Itadakimasu_," and hearing the others do the same before they all dug in.

The meal was rather relaxing, even if the conversation subject matter was probably not one that was normally heard around Japanese dining tables. Natsumi talked about some of the misunderstandings she had while on exchange with the LAPD, and how her martial arts skill and strength, even more than her shooting skill, had discomforted the elite officers of the Metro Division. Most police officers knew better than to underestimate someone just by appearance, but it was something else entirely when a muscular male was being tossed around by a female 25 cm shorter and 50 kg lighter with brute force alone. Miyuki's experiences were less physical, as she had been assigned to the forensic unit, but she did have some fun racing some car tuners at tracks in the Southern California area, most of all a tall muscular shaved head male and his modified Mazda RX-7 and his shorter dyed blonde partner with his Toyota Supra. Given her ethnicity and good looks, most of the racers assumed that Miyuki was a race groupie … which had lasted as long as it took for her to enter a race or two with a Honda Civic she had been working on. After that Natsumi had almost literally had to carry her away from the arguments she had been having with the gear-heads.

After the food was finished and the plates taken to the sink, the three returned to the table to continue talking. By this time, Natsumi had drank three of the 12 oz bottles of sake while looking only slightly tipsy, even as Miyuki was finishing her second full glass of plum wine, which explained what they talked about next… the men in their lives, or more accurately, the lack thereof. Given they were police officers, most Japanese men did not have the confidence to date women that literally kicked ass and took names for a living, especially Natsumi, who's unconscious _chi_ enhanced strength would put a power lifter to shame. Miyuki had a different problem though, as her intelligence and mechanical talents intimidated many men who would otherwise be attracted to someone who looked like the poster girl for the _Yamato Nadeshiko_. The two girls had tried dating other police officers, but the closest Natsumi had gotten to a steady boyfriend was currently on a six month trip to climb the Himalayas and Miyuki's love interest was too busy hanging around the other male motorcycle officers and not ever taking off his white silk scarf and mirrored sunglasses – especially in the locker room, according to rumor.

Looking at his wrist watch, Keitaro saw that it was getting close to eight pm, and that perhaps it was time for him to get going. Given how much both of his hosts had been drinking, he figured that he could walk to a trolley stop and take a train home.

"Hey, Taro-kun, you never did get your sip." Natsumi was refilling her sake cup and she looked up at the young _ronin_ as she spoke. "Newbies need to maintain tradition, after all."

"Are you sure about this, Natsumi-san? I'm legally not old enough to drink." Keitaro looked from up at Natsumi, and except for a slight blush on her face, she looked like she meant what she said.

"I'm very sure. You're now a trained and certified shooter, old enough to fight, old enough to drink, old enough to…" Natsumi's voice trailed off. "Besides, a little sip won't hurt you."

Keitaro watched Natsumi shuffled over on her knees to where she was now next to him, her sake cup in hand. He frowned slightly; if Natsumi was going to give him some of her sake, why did she bring her cup and not the bottle to pour in another cup?

Smiling a little, Natsumi raised her cup in the air and said "_Kampai_." Taking a sip from the cup, Natsumi put it down on the table, and then to his surprise, leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. An instant later, her tongue pushed through their lips and into his mouth, sliding up against his tongue, the taste of sake on it.

After a moment of shock, Keitaro responded. Granted, this was his first full kiss, but he had read enough stories to know what to do. Tasting Natsumi's mouth, he tilted his head more to the side and kissed back, the pressure causing her mouth to open slightly more, and his tongue then moving into her month, the taste of sake stronger but not overwhelming. Meanwhile, his hands had unconsciously gone to her upper arms and were holding her in place, so that his leaning against her would not push her away.

After what felt like a long time, but in reality was only a few moments, Natsumi moved her head back and broke the kiss, sitting there wide-eyed and gasping slightly. "Wow! You're a damn good kisser!"

"Thank you," Keitaro replied, not sure what else he could say. Mentioning that this was his first romantic-type kiss with another person was probably not a good idea at this time (fending off his adopted sister's advances did not count in his mind).

"Hope you liked your taste of sake, Taro-kun." Natsumi grinned impishly. "Now it's time for your sip of wine."

Keitaro's eyes widened again. Surely she could not mean…

"Miyuki-chan, your turn." Turning toward the other girl in the room, Keitaro could see that the blush on her face was a little darker, but she was now also shuffling forward to where she was now on the opposite side of him from Natsumi. Taking a sip from her wine glass, Miyuki looked right at him, tilted her head slightly, and leaned forward, her eyes closing as their mouths made contact.

This kiss was different. It was not aggressive and hungry like Natsumi's, it was slow and gentle, but with a feeling of desire behind it. Miyuki's mouth tasted sweet from the plum wine she was drinking, and Keitaro did not know if it was the alcohol or the girl he was now kissing, but he had a sudden desire for more. Almost unconsciously, his tongue slid into her mouth, and after a few moments of exploring, drew her tongue into his mouth, where he sucked lightly on it, causing her to moan slightly before she pulled away, just enough to break the kiss, but still close enough to smell the wine on her breath.

"Oh my… that was good Keitaro-kun," The blush on Miyuki's face was now enough so that he could feel the heat against his own skin. "I think I want more." Leaning forward, Miyuki's lips pressed against his, but now she was more aggressive, her mouth opening and inviting him to taste her with a swipe of her tongue against his lips, an invitation he had no intention of turning down.

As the two kissed, they both found that kneeling side by side while next to a low table was not very comfortable. Slowly, clumsily, they moved to the side so they were on their knees facing each other, their lips not separating while they moved. Of course, this made it so they could now press up against each other from their chests down to their thighs.

Miyuki cried out softly as she felt her breasts flatten against Keitaro's chest. His hands had come up to her shoulders to hold her in place against him, but that did not keep her from starting a slow undulating motion .

Keitaro was too caught up feeling sensations as this gorgeous creature pressed up against him, tasting her, feeling her slide up and down slightly against him and hearing her sounds of excitement and desire. There was little that could distract him from this… except another firm female body pressed up against him, this time from behind.

"Miyuki-chan, don't be greedy, you need to share with your partner," Natsumi whispered to her roommate, her chin hooked over Keitaro's shoulder, her lips next to her face and right by his ear as she spoke, causing him to shiver as she gently took his ear lobe between her teeth and bit down slightly. Her arms snaked around the pair in front of her, pulling them all together, the _ronin_ now the filling in a most pleasurable sandwich.

"Natsumi-chan… it feels so good… too good…" Miyuki whimpered as she increased the pressure of her grinding against the man against her. And he was a man; never mind that he was almost a decade younger than she was, she had not been this excited with a male in a long time.

"It gets better, Yuki-chan," Natsumi grinned to herself as her hands went up to where Keitaro's hands were on Miyuki's shoulders. Gently pulling them away, she guided his hands down her arms and back to her rump. Clenching her hands on top of his, they both squeezed the firm flesh beneath the cargo shorts and caused Miyuki to cry out loudly.

"Wait a minute!" Keitaro broke his kiss with Miyuki, causing her to moan disconsolately. He turned his head to look at Natsumi, whose face was still next to his ear, her body pressed against his back. "Why are you doing this?"

Natsumi gave an amused smile at his question. "Why Taro-kun, I thought a Todai aspirant would have studied this in school. When a man and a woman find each other attractive, there are hormonal reactions, and it produces certain feelings…"

"You know what I'm asking, Natsumi-san. Why are you doing this with *me*? Why are both you and Miyuki-san doing this *together* with me?" Keitaro was trying to concentrate on his questioning, but it was difficult to keep your mind on track when you have one attractive woman pressed against your back and another moaning and grinding up against your front.

"Why you? You're good looking, in shape, not a cocky son-of-a-bitch, but still mature and confident enough to deal with a strong woman. And why me and Yuki-chan? Well, we're partners, we share *everything*." Natsumi's Cheshire Cat smile did little to encourage him, even as it did send a frission of excitement down his spine. "We spent a lot of time helping each other… reduce tension, and now we both want to be with you. So what's wrong with that?"

"Yes Keitaro-kun… I want you so much right now. Could you help me out… help us both?" The wild look on Miyuki's face had decreased, but her grinding continued regardless, even as she looked into his eyes and spoke.

"If you're sure…" Keitaro would have said more, but Miyuki laid a kiss on him that had him gasping for breath, even as Natsumi resumed nibbling on his ear and guiding his hands over her partner's body.

"We're very sure, Taro-kun. And one more thing… I think we're friendly enough to drop the honorifics, don't you?" Natsumi traced her lips down from his earlobe to his jaw line, kissing and nipping gently. Keitaro, his mouth otherwise occupied, nodded his agreement, careful not to break his kiss with Miyuki as he did so.

"Well, since we're all good with this, I think it's time to move to a more comfortable location." It took a few moments for this to sink into Keitaro's mind, but once it did, he slowly pulled away from Miyuki, who gave a slight whine as contact between their lips broke. She blinked at him for a moment before she looked between the two of them, finally saying only one word. "Bedroom?"

"Bedroom," Natsumi said in agreement. Backing away from Keitaro to let him stand up, she helped her wobbly partner to her feet, then reached out with her free hand to the _ronin_, who was then lead through the sliding shoji door into the sleeping area.

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 - The lemon part of this chapter (approx 8K words) is posted at under the name 'Contract Labor - Lemons!'. If you want to read it and are legally of age and able to do so where you are, go the following page:_

**_mediaminer_._org (slash) fanfic_ (slash) _view_ _ (slash) _169598/602690#fic_c_**

_Obviously, replace ( slash ) with the actual punctuation and remove all parenthesis ( ) and spaces. _

_Now also at in the 'Anime - Love Hina' section of AdultFF Net under **GreydonCreed**.  
><em>

_Reviews of the lemon part can be done here, if they are not explicit._

* * *

><p>Half a block from the Urashima Residence<p>

_Tokyo, Japan  
>The next day<em>

Keitaro was thinking to himself as he walked along the sidewalk, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. There was nothing obviously different about him, but he still had the feeling that there was a sign that was invisible to him but visible to everyone else that loudly proclaimed "Lost Virginity in a Threesome!" floating somewhere over his head.

He had woken up to find that he had been wrapped up in between two very attractive, very naked girls, in a room that was not his own. After a few moments, he was able to recall what had happened the night before, and calmed down somewhat. But that left the question as to what he was going to do now.

Craning his head to look at the alarm clock, he saw that it was now 8:17 AM. The pressure that was now starting to make itself known in his bladder demanded immediate attention, so staying put, as attractive an idea as that was, was not an option.

Slowly wriggling his way free, Keitaro was able to slip free of the clutches of the clingy girls, arranging for their arms to wrap around each other instead. Once that was done, he snuck out to the water closet to use the facilities, but he had miscalculated one thing – how noisy the water pipes were in this apartment building. It was not quite as loud as a jet engine firing up at the airport, but it had a certain fingernails on a chalkboard quality that set his teeth on edge.

After washing up, he returned to the bedroom to retrieve his clothes to see one half awake girl and one fully conscious girl glaring at him from the futon. Without a word Natsumi grabbed his hand and yanked him down to the mat and before he knew it, he was wrapped up by the two girls again. Keitaro mentally sighed; if this was his punishment for sneaking out of bed, should this be considered a bad thing?

After a half hour of snuggling, and near simultaneous growling of stomachs by Keitaro and Natsumi, the girls finally decided to let him get up. After some quick trips to the washroom to clean up, the two girls dressed in casual clothes, and while Miyuki was making tea and toast, Natsumi and Keitaro washed the dishes from the night before. With two sets of hands involved, the job was done before the kettle started whistling.

Sitting around the table, the three looked at each other in silence while eating and drinking. But after a few minutes, the quiet was getting awkward, so Keitaro took it upon himself to break the ice.

"Where do we go from here?" The two girls looked at him in puzzlement. "I mean, gods know I enjoyed myself last night, and I'm pretty sure you did as well," here the two girls blushed in response, "but I mean, what do we do now? You two have careers as police officers, and I'm going to be leaving the country for a year in about a month. It's not like we can start a real relationship; hell, there's two of you and one of me. I'll probably die of exhaustion and dehydration if we keep doing what we did last night all the time!" Keitaro half smiled at the girls, but while they smiled in return, their expressions returned to serious ones soon enough.

"Keitaro-kun… we were telling the truth when we told you that we have problems with relationships because of what we do and who we are," Miyuki started out saying. "Because of this, we treasure what we do find, and we do not want to take it lightly. However, we do understand that we are not at a point to have anything serious, or even conventional. That is why Natsumi-chan and I got involved with each other, and now that we found you, we are willing for you to take part in what we have. For now, we want to be with you until you have to leave, and after you return, we will see what occurs then."

"We don't want you just as a fuck-buddy, Taro-kun," Natsumi now spoke up. "We enjoyed the week we spent with you, and I think we could be friends even if last night didn't happen. But we don't want you to just leave now. You're very rare, you're a sweet, smart, strong guy, and no sane girl would want to give that up."

"So you two want to continue seeing me, like this? It's not like I can be both your boyfriend at the same time." Keitaro was looking from one girl to the other.

"We will be good friends, with certain… benefits. We still have a month before you leave, and we can help you with some more training up until then. And if we should spend time together after the training, I'm sure none of us will mind." Miyuki smiled at the young _ronin_.

"If you sure…" Keitaro was not sure if this was a good thing, but Natsumi and Miyuki certainly seemed to want it, and if more nights occurred like the last one, he would be a fool to refuse.

"We are very sure." The two girls got up and came around to Keitaro's side of the table, the two of them wrapping their arms around him in a combined hug. Miyuki was in front of him, so she gave him a long lingering kiss while Natsumi nuzzled his neck while pressing up behind him.

After a few minutes in the group hug, the three finally finished getting ready for the day and left the apartment, heading down toward the garage so that Miyuki could drive him to the train station so he could go home. The girls had offered to take him all the way to his home, but Keitaro was sure they were not ready to have a screaming younger sister dive into their car when she saw two attractive women with her beloved onii-chan.

For some reason, the garage was not accessible by elevator, so they had to get off at the lobby and walk though a doorway. But when then they stepped out of the elevator, they found something very unusual… a dozen men waiting for them.

As the stone faced men stared at them, Miyuki's hand reached into her purse for her combination taser/pepper spray gun, Natsumi's hands clenched into fists and started to come up, and Keitaro, looking around for priority threats and entrances and exits, noticed that the men had the same jealous look in their eyes as the men at the train station, making him wonder how messy it would get if they had to fight their way out of the lobby.

But then the most unusual thing happened, in unison the men all turned so they were facing Keitaro and deeply bowed at the waist, holding it for a moment before coming back up. One of the men walked up to the mystified trio, and Miyuki recognized him as the manager of their apartment building. "Good morning, Haneda-san, can I help you?" she asked in some confusion.

"Good morning, Koyabakawa-san, Tsujimoto-san. I was asked to deliver a message and this envelope to you this morning." The man handed a small square envelope to Miyuki.

"What's this all about, Manager-san?" Natsumi asked as she and Keitaro watched Miyuki open the envelope and look at the contents before blushing in apparent embarrassment.

"As much as the men of this apartment building enjoyed listening to certain people and sounds last night through the heating vents, our wives were not as appreciative. So they took up a collection and got a gift certificate, asking that if certain people intended to repeat what occurred last night, they use the gift certificate when they do so."

"What's the gift certificate for, Miyuki-chan?" Natsumi asked her still blushing partner.

"It's an all night stay at a romance hotel. It's addressed to 'Our Hero and his two Lovely Ladies.'" Miyuki blushed some more as she passed the envelope to Keitaro.

Seeing the certificate inside for the 'Discrete Rest' love hotel, along with a business card for the location boasting of soundproofed rooms and mini-bars filled with energy drinks and bottled water, as well as vending machines for certain 'personal items', Keitaro started to feel a blush working its way across his face. Looking at Natsumi, who had been reading over his shoulder, he could see the same with her as well.

Deciding to play it cool, Keitaro tucked the envelope in his shirt pocket and turned toward the manager. "Thank you for your consideration, Haneda-san," he said with a barely straight face, bowing as he spoke.

The manager bowed in return. "No, thank you. I know of some couples that were… inspired… by what they heard last night," he replied with a crooked smile.

With that happy thought in mind, the trio walked toward the garage, the men in the lobby once again deeply bowing as they passed through.

Now as Keitaro was walking toward his home from the trolley stop, he was wondering what if anything he should tell his family. His Tou-san would probably be OK with it, his Kaa-san would not really like it but would not make a big deal about it, but it was his younger sister that he was concerned about.

"ONII-SAN!" Speak of the devil and she will appear. With a crash, Keitaro was tackled, winding up on his back with 47 kilos of overly concerned little sister on top of him.

"Where were you? Who were you with? Why didn't you tell me last night?" Kanako had her hands on his shirt lapels, either to hang on or to strangle him. She lowered her head and took a deep sniff. "And why do you smell of cheap women's perfume?"

Keitaro just sighed. It was barely 11:00 AM, and he knew it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><em>AN 3 – Who would have thought that the first lemon I've written in more than three years would be double the size of the rest of the chapter? The entire chapter is a little over 13K words, with the lemon taking up 8K. Hopefully I didn't do too badly. *smile*_

_To anyone that may be thinking that Keitaro is acting a little too confidently considering that this was his first time, all I can say is you learn a lot when you read erotic stories, like the ones found at a certain website we all read. *grin*_

_If enough people ask for it, I may write another lemon involving Keitaro and the YUA girls, but keep in mind that there is only one more chapter or so left before Keitaro leaves for Thailand._

_As of 25Dec2011 0200 PST, this story has 119K words, 240 Reviews, 116,634 hits, 25 C2 listings, 359 Favorite listings, and 329 Story Alerts. Thanks again to all my readers.*thumbs up*_

_Many thanks to AZ and PCH for their excellent and rapid beta assistance.  
><em>

_Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. _

_May Peace Prevail on Earth._


	27. Chapter 27

Ch 27

V 1.5

_A/N 1 – While I was doing a reread of the entire Contract Labor story, I realized that the timeline and dates of this story are a little too haphazard and inconsistent. I was making up dates and times on the fly, and looking back at the story I decided it did not fit very well. So I sat down with my story planning outline and recalculated everything._

_One of the things I had previously decided to do was not use actual dates. Mostly this is because with the crossovers there would be some shifting of some series from its canon dates, so that the characters would still be approximately the same ages they were in their stories while set in current time but not get nailed down to actual dates and days of the week. Unfortunately, this made for a sloppy and imprecise timeline._

_So what I've decide to do now is calculate the story timeline from the start of the story, when Keitaro arrives at the Hinata-sou and becomes the manager and heir. I've designated that as Time Zero, with all chapters being counted from that time. _

_I've also decided to only use months as indicators of time (ie early March, mid May, late September). There will be very few times that will have an actual date, and so far I've come up with two; the Todai Entrance Exam took place Sept 15, and Keitaro arrived at the Hinata-sou from Thailand on Sept 1 the following year. So Time Zero will be Sept 1. The only other specific indicators of time will be used for holidays like New Year's Day, which is when this chapter is taking place._

* * *

><p><em>Urashima House,<br>Tokyo, Japan,  
>January 1, 12:15AM<br>(Eight months before story start)_

Keitaro carefully slid the door open, making sure that the wooden frame did not make any unnecessary noise in its track. Being that quiet was hardly necessary, as the sounds of the party, with its attendant chatter, laughter, and music would be enough to cover most noise up to the level of a gunshot, but he preferred being careful. Stepping outside into the backyard, Keitaro could feel the chill bite into his bare arms, but he did not mind. He did not intend to stay outside for long.

The New Year's celebrations at the Urashima house were always a joyous time, where family members and close friends got together to wait for the clock to strike twelve, to ring in the new year. Keitaro normally would be buoyed along with the good cheer of everyone present, but this year was different, for two reasons.

The first reason being that Keitaro had failed to make it into Todai. He was not used to being an object of pity, but the young Urashima could see that expression in one form or another on everyone's face when they found out about his low test score. It was not as though the Urashima could tell everyone that the reason that he had blown the test was that he had been involved in a massive nasty fight resulting in someone's death, and that he had been mistreated by the police before going to take the test the next day. All he could do is just give a self-effacing smile and say that he would study that much harder for the next test, and that he was certain to pass that one. What made it worse was that the pity in people's faces would only increase, as though he was merely denying the truth in failing to enter the most prestigious and exclusive university in Japan. And then there was Kanako hanging around him while all this going on, the look on her face showing that she was blaming herself for what happened, even if she did not actually say anything.

The second reason had been a private meeting he had with Granny Hina. He had not really seen her since she had rescued him from the hostile police interrogation after that fight, but she had been busy since that day. While the Urashima family was not what could be called wealthy, and they lived comfortably with the various businesses they all managed, Granny Hina more than made up for it with the influence that she could wield, as those two police investigators found out to their dismay.

When Keitaro had gone to the public prosecutor's office to do the official wrap-up regarding the fight at the train station, a lawyer that owed Granny a favor had gone along with him, not that he really needed one. The prosecutor had almost fallen all over himself to assure Keitaro and the lawyer that the young Urashima would not face any charges as a result of the fight, and as an aside mentioned that the lead investigator had been dismissed from the police department for misconduct, with an extremely negative review in his job history. The best job he could look forward to was maybe driving a truck for a company that was not picky about such things. The other investigator, because he had not been as abusive and was following a senior officer's lead, had been given a month off without pay and demoted to traffic patrol, with no chance for advancement to an investigative or supervisory position ever again.

This had been going through Keitaro's mind when he met with his Granny that evening in the formal tea room at his parent's house. There was not really anything that he could say about it, but seeing Hina kneeling on the tatami mat, a serious look on her face instead of the normal half-smile that was habitually there, really drove home how much she had done for him.

Kneeling into position before her, Keitaro had bowed and thanked her for all she had done for him. To his shock, Hina had bowed even deeper and thanked him for acting in such a honorable and protective manner in protecting his sister. Keitaro had protested, saying that it had not been his intent to maim and kill those he had fought, but Hina had dismissed those concerns, stating that he had done what was necessary to protect his family and himself.

Placing the oblong wooden box that had been beside her in front, Hina had taken the top off to show that it contained a blood red martial arts belt with the Urashima family crest embroidered in gold at one end. Taking it in both hands, Hina had bowed lowed and presented it to him, her words engraving themselves in his mind.

"_The red belt is the highest symbol of our family style, Keitaro-kun. __It is not a rank, nor a trophy__. It is a reminder of the vows we swore when trained to protect ourselves and those who cannot protect themselves. It reminds us that we fight and spill blood, and sometimes take lives, so that others may live._

"_Any person can give their life for a cause, but it is a greater achievement to save a life, especially that of their family. The red belt is given to those that have taken life to protect someone who could not protect themselves. The red belt with the family crest is given to someone who has protected a family member from deadly attack. For without our family and our honor, the Urashima would cease to exist._

"_For protecting a family member from certain grave injury and death, you are hereby presented with this belt, to remind you of the duty you have fulfilled, of the duty you will carry out from now on, and the duty you will teach to our future descendants. May these words and our family never be forgotten."_

Keitaro had covered the box and put it away in his room, but those words still stayed in his mind. He knew he had done the right thing when he rescued Kanako, but he could not stop wishing that it had not happened that way.

Once the clock struck twelve, everyone had cheered and started hugging each other. Keitaro had hugged all the members of his family present; Tou-san, Kaa-san, Kanako, Hina, and Aunt Haruka, who had come along with Granny. Keitaro had to quickly turn his face so that Kanako would kiss him on the cheek and not the mouth, but otherwise it worked out fine. Seta, who Keitaro had invited and whose hand he had shaken at midnight, had spent most of the night hanging around Haruka, who looked both slightly annoyed and pleased to have her former boyfriend so close to her.

Now that the new year had arrived, Keitaro had snuck outside to have a moment to himself. There were two other people that he wished had been there for their New Year's hugs, but given the unusualness of their… relationship, it had not happened.

Looking up at the clear night sky, Keitaro could hardly see the stars, given all the light and vehicle pollution. But he could see the three quarter moon, and now that he was concentrating, the streak of a shooting star was seen crossing the sky.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Keitaro made a silent wish to himself before opening his eyes again, his face still tilted upwards. Which made it rather impressive that he did not jump or scream like a little girl when a set of arms wrapped themselves around him from behind, a firm female body pressing against him.

"Hey there lover boy, whacha doing?" A familiar scent drifted to his nose, lavender mixed with the faint smell of cordite.

"Thinking to myself that if wishing on stars really works like it just did, I've got to do it more often." Keitaro craned his head around to see Natsumi standing behind him. "Where's your partner?

"I'm right here." Miyuki stepped up beside him. Leaning forward she kissed him lightly on the lips before breaking away, the slight scent of jasmine now apparent. "Happy New Year, Keitaro-kun."

"Happy New Year, Miyuki-chan, Natsumi-chan." Moving carefully, Keitaro was able to turn inside of Natsumi's arms so he was facing her, then leaned forward and kissed her as well. "Not that I'm not happy to see you two, but what are you doing here?"

"A little bird called us and let know that you looked to be down in the dumps even though it's New Years, so he gave us your address and suggested we come over. Just as we got here, he called us on his mobile and told us you had just stepped into the back yard, so if we wanted some alone time we should hustle." Natsumi lowered her head so her face was nuzzling Keitaro's neck.

Keitaro was now facing the back windows of his house, so he could see Seta peering through the curtains at them. Once he saw that Keitaro had noticed him, he gave him a thumbs-up and walked away.

"Well, remind me to thank that little bird." Seta was the only person that knew that Keitaro was involved romantically with Natsumi and Miyuki, and that was by accident.

* * *

><p><em>University of Tokyo<br>Archeology Department Offices  
>Beginning of December<br>One month prior._

"Hey there Part-timer, what are you doing here?"

Keitaro looked up as Seta walked into the office. Their positions were reversed today, as Keitaro had come in at 7:30 that morning instead of his normal 9:00 AM. There was not really much for him to do, as he had already cataloged the various artifacts that had been laying around Seta's office. The only thing left to do in the office was to neaten Seta's desk, which was haphazardly covered with stacks of paper in no discernible order. However his boss had specifically prohibited him from doing so, claiming that he had a special organizational system that allowed him to find any piece of paper within 30 seconds, but Keitaro was sure it was more along the lines of 'dig until you find what you're looking for' rather than any actual system. But since he was here before his boss, and he did not have anything to do at the moment, he was sitting at his desk leafing through an old archeology magazine that had a younger Seta on the cover, wearing dusty field clothes and smiling widely for the camera.

"Had to get out of the house, my little sister is annoyed at me and she's been making me miserable. I didn't want to see her glowering at me over breakfast, so I came here early." Kanako had been nagging him all weekend as to where he had been the previous Friday night, and since he had refused to answer her beyond 'at my trainer's apartment', she had been following him around the house either randomly asking him in whatever sneaky way she thought would work, or just pouting at him. Once morning had broken on Monday, Keitaro had grabbed a piece of buttered toast, quickly drank down a cup of tea, and left early for Todai.

His tou-san and kaa-san had not given him as much trouble about his overnight stay, but then again, Keitaro had only told his tou-san where he had been, but only after Keitaro had taken him into the back yard and made sure that Kanako was not within earshot. His father's eyebrows had almost gone into his hairline when Keitaro had told him his trainers' names and he realized that they were both female, but after asking him if he was sure about what he was doing, his tou-san had decided to take a page from the US military handbook: don't ask, don't tell. That way there was less of a chance of him giving something away should Kanako decide to get too nosey. Keitaro had felt funny about the head nod and hand clap to the shoulder his tou-san had given when once they were done talking in the yard, since he was pretty sure that his father's wildest imaginings about what happened that night were actually close to the truth in this case.

"You know, Haruka-chan called me yesterday." Seta dropped his shoulder attache bag next to his desk and sat down in his chair. "She wanted to know how you were doing with your new job, but she also mentioned that your sister Kanako had called her asking for my number. She didn't give it to her, but she warned me that your little sis was sneaky and might get it some other way and to be careful." Seta leaned back in his chair, but kept his eyes focused on Keitaro. "You want to tell me what happened?"

Keitaro shrugged nonchalantly, or at least tried to. It looked closer to a shoulder spasm however. "Natsumi-san and Miyuki-san invited me to their apartment for dinner to celebrate my completing my firearms training. They both had a little too much to drink and it was getting late, so they let me stay overnight rather than me have to take the train and trolley late at night." Crime on the Tokyo mass transit system was nowhere near what it was in other cities such as New York, but given the number of drunken party goers and gang types out looking for trouble, it was not something to do lightly by yourself, even as a male.

"Really?" Somehow Seta was able to load a lot of innuendo and sarcasm into one word. "You just slept on the couch?"

"Spare futon, actually." Keitaro could feel sweatdrops start to form along his hairline over his forehead. "Their apartment isn't all that big. Just the living room and the bedroom."

"Uh huh." Seta sat up and leaned forward, his elbows on his desk and his fingers laced together in front of his nose and mouth, neatly concealing his face. His glasses gleaned ominously. "And since you have already stated that Natsumi-san and Miyuki-san had been drinking, did you drink as well?"

"Just a sip of sake and wine that Natsumi-san and Miyuki-san gave me. I didn't get drunk." The overhead light was somehow now reflecting off the lenses of Seta's glasses, making them opaque, therefore completing the Gendo Ikari resemblance in his trademark 'Bastard Position'.

"Since they were both three sheets to the wind, was it Miyuki-san that made the first move?" Seta's voice was even, with no inflection until the end of the question.

"Natsumi-chan was the one to…" Keitaro's voice trailed off as he realized that 1) he just confirmed that something did happen, and 2) he had just called Natsumi 'chan', which is a big deal with the person being referred to is a female who was not a relative.

"So Natsumi-**chan** made the first move?" Seta's question showed that he had caught Keitaro's mistake. "Since I presume that Miyuki-san was there, how did she react? Or were you sneaking around behind her back?"

"She didn't seem too upset when she saw it happen." Somehow, Keitaro was transfixed by the gleaming opaque spectacles on Seta's face, which along with his hands completely concealed all emotions on his face.

"Really? Did she then ask for her turn?" Emotion was starting to enter Seta's voice.

"Natsumi-chan was the one who suggested it…" Keitaro knew he really should shut up now. "I think that's all I should say."

Seta's hands dropped down to the desk top with a light smack. "Come on! If you leave it like that, I'm going to start thinking that you all engaged in some torrid threesome or something." Seta grinned at him, but the smile dropped off his face as he saw that Keitaro was blushing, and that the color was increasing. "You're kidding… you have got to be fucking kidding!" Keitaro did not say anything and looked away. "You kissed two hot older women and they invited you to stay the night! Tell me you didn't do more than that!"

"I didn't do more than that." Keitaro muttered, still not looking at Seta, which resulted in him giving a major start when he looked off and saw that his boss was leaning over his desk and was now less than a foot away from him face to face.

"Liar! I can see it in your eyes! YOU WERE WITH BOTH OF THEM! AT THE SAME TIME!" Seta did not quite scream the last part out as he jumped to his feet. "This is why your sister has been giving you a hard time, because you had a threesome!"

Keitaro flinched. "This is why I didn't want to tell Kana-chan anything, because no matter how you say it, it still looks bad, and in this case it happens to be true."

Seta collapsed back into his chair. "Tell me at least that you were not a virgin? No one can be that lucky, to have a threesome for their first time."

"I was not a virgin." Keitaro's voice was flat and sounded totally not truthful.

"Liar." Instead of shouting again, Seta's voice was flat as well. His head hit his desk top with a loud thump, but Keitaro was still able to hear his voice as he muttered in a low voice, "I so fucking hate you right now."

* * *

><p><em>Urashima House,<br>January 1, 12:20AM_

Once Seta had gotten over his wallowing in envy and jealousy, he had been rather helpful to Keitaro in concealing his relationship with Natsumi and Miyuki from Kanako. When Seta checked his voicemail that morning and heard that he had three messages from Kanako and about ten hang-ups, he realized that Keitaro was not kidding about his younger sister's determination.

When he returned Kanako's call, Seta refused to give any information of substance to the younger Urashima, merely stating that the two trainers were police officers and that he was not allowed to give out their personal information. Kanako had not taken that well, but Seta had been nothing but polite to the girl before he finally hung up the phone.

Given that most of the work in the office was now done, and all that was left were the various errands that needed to be run before the expedition left in the beginning of January, Keitaro had more time to spend with his two 'Lovely Ladies'. Using the excuse that there was additional training that he needed, Keitaro was able to spend weekends with Natsumi and Miyuki starting on Friday afternoon, doing tactical practice with both dummy and live guns during the day, and some more *personal* training during the evenings. By the time that Keitaro arrived home on Sunday morning, Kanako would be standing next to the doorway with her arms crossed and a scowling looking on her face, while his father would merely give him a thumbs-up, out of view of Kanako of course. But his sister had finally given up on bugging him about it, even if her curiosity was unsatisfied. Speaking of which, Kanako's sleeping incursions had increased to almost every night of the week, however, after Keitaro had stopped her from stripping him one night and told her that if she did that again he was banning her from his room, the aggressive seduction attempts had halted.

Keitaro had seriously considered inviting Natsumi and Miyuki to the New Year's party, but he knew that Kanako would grill the two women as to their relationship with her beloved big brother. So regretfully, Keitaro had merely wished the two ladies a Happy New Year when he saw them last before the holiday. But now that the two were with him in his back yard, Keitaro was feeling happier that he had felt for a while, almost to the same level as his first night with them.

"So what are you going to do now, Taro-kun? Going back to your cold lonely futon?" Natsumi was kidding, of course, since the party was still going on and would be for a while. But before the girls had arrived, he had been considering doing just that, even if he had his nightly visit from Kanako to look forward to.

"Maybe…" The two were now hugging him together, the girls side by side as they faced them. Natsumi still had her face in his neck, while Miyuki was rubbing her cheek against his.

"Well, to hell with that. Come home with us, I'm sure we can come up with a way to keep celebrating." Natsumi pulled away and was looking him in the eye, her expression serious even as there was a bit of humor and heat dancing in her dark eyes.

"It's a bit late to be going out, Natsumi-chan." Keitaro was more than a little tempted though.

"Just tell your dad that your girlfriends are taking you out on the town, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that." Natsumi grinned at him.

"Keitaro-kun, we do want you with us tonight. Please, come with us?" Miyuki was looking both hopeful and turned on, and Keitaro was not able to say no to his angels when they were like that.

"OK, give me a couple of minutes to tell Tou-san and grab my jacket. You parked in front?" The girls nodded. "Be ready, I may come out in a hurry." Keitaro gave them both a quick kiss before reluctantly breaking away and walking toward the house.

Five minutes, with the blue Toyota convertible quietly idling , the girls saw Keitaro slip out the front door and head toward them, but he had barely reached the yard gate when the front door crashed open and a young female voice yelled out "ONII-CHAN!"

Keitaro immediately ran toward the car, dove into the back seat and whisper-shouted "GO GO GO!" Miyuki dropped the car into gear and floored it, the tires squealing on the pavement as they sped away, the teen girl chasing after them on foot around the corner, until the car got full traction after the turn and they managed to get away.

* * *

><p><em>Narita International Airport<br>Chiba, Tokyo, Japan  
>Early January<br>(eight months to story start)_

"Everything is good to go Seta." The pilot, a burly unshaven man named Nikolai, said in English with a heavy Russian accent. "We can leave as soon as you board."

Turning toward his subordinate, the Todai professor spoke. "This is it, Keitaro-kun." Seta's normally lighthearted voice was serious for once.

After nearly two months of preparations, it had come to this. All the bags and crates were packed and inventoried; all the lists were checked twice, catching two or three items that they had to scramble to acquire. The ton of equipment and materials going to Thailand were already on the chartered midsized propeller cargo plane. All that was left was his duffle bag and suit case laying at his feet, and the two bags that Seta was going to carry on himself. Most of his clothes were in the duffle bag, and while there were some t-shirts in the suitcase, it was mostly to wrap around the locked steel case containing the new tools of the trade he was now taking up. He had only taken full possession of them the night before from Natsumi and Miyuki, who had stored them at the SAT armory.

The Glock pistol and empty ammo magazines were placed in the case, a copy of the import permits for Thailand included, with the ammo in a separate case in one of the crates with another copy of the permits. Also included in the case was a _kaiken tanto_, only this was not the traditional Japanese bride's ornamental item. The 15 cm razor sharp blade had a non-reflective grey finish, and the handle grips were black wood, cross-hatcheted for a secure grip in wet conditions. Instead of the customary leather and wood sheath, this one was modern nylon and kydex, designed to be carried inside the waistband with a steel clip to hold it in place. The knife had been given to Keitaro by Granny Hina the same night he had received his red belt. It had been in a similar wooden presentation box, only this contained the tanto and a hand-lettered note written with ink and brush on rice paper. The note simply said, _'Sometimes one must take life to defend life,'_ one of the precepts of the Urashima martial arts style. The signature was simply the Urashima family crest. Keitaro had left the knife box containing only the note next to the red belt box in a dresser drawer in his room, silently hoping that he never had to use the knife for its intended purpose.

Also in the suit case was one of the two going away presents that Natsumi and Miyuki had given him the night before; a kydex holster set, rigged to carry his pistol concealed under even a light shirt, as well as a reinforced belt, a magazine carrier and a tactical flashlight carrier, complete with tac light. But the other present the girls had given him was literally and figuratively closer to his heart; a small wallet containing pictures of the girls.

The first picture had Natsumi and Miyuki together in traffic police uniform, the second picture had Miyuki in regular police uniform and Natsumi in SAT tactical gear. The third picture had Miyuki next to her blue Toyota convertible and Natsumi next to a racing bike, but while Miyuki was in a yellow sleeveless blouse and light green knee length skirt, Natsumi was in a skintight red and white racer suit that was partially unzipped, showing her dark purple bra through the opening. However, the last picture took the prize; it was of the two girls at the beach, with Natsumi laying on her front on a towel while Miyuki was about to spread sun block on her back. The problem was that while Natsumi's bikini top had been untied so her back would tan evenly, Miyuki had fallen on top of her partner and *her* bikini top had become untied as well, and the only thing holding it in place was the fact that her chest was pressed against Natsumi's back. The last picture had been a timer shot, but Miyuki tripped when she moved back to Natsumi's side, resulting in the amusing snapshot, both girls with embarrassed smiles on their faces.

Their leave-taking the night before had been bittersweet; for once, they had been together in the girls' apartment instead of a 'romance hotel' and they had been able to keep it relatively quiet, or at least to the point where the neighbors were not able to overhear them… much. They had had hushed sex, with the girls gasping and moaning softly, and while they had all enjoyed themselves very much, Keitaro's imminent departure had resulted in a feeling of melancholy to the evening.

Once the girls dropped him off at a corner close to home (and after almost five minutes of heartfelt goodbye kisses), Keitaro was able to pick up his bags and get ready to go to the airport. Seta was there in a school van to ride with him to the airport and a graduate student to drive it back to the campus, and Keitaro's entire family was there to see him off. Everyone received a goodbye hug, and when Kanako tried to kiss him on the mouth again, he intentionally did not turn his head all the way, so she caught the corner of his lips. She was still crying as he pulled away though.

After the young _ronin_ gave Haruka a hug (and got a bop on the head for calling her 'aunt' again) he turned and looked down at Granny Hina. She was 20 cm shorter than him, but that did not stop her from grabbing his shirt and yanking him down so she could hug him properly. Pulling away slightly, she looked him in the eye and softly said, "Come back safe, Keitaro-kun. Whatever it takes. Promise me."

Keitaro smiled at his grandmother. "I promise, Obaa-sama." Taking a full step back, Keitaro did a deep bow. To his surprise, Hina did a matching deep bow as well.

Turning to the rest of his family, Keitaro bowed to them as well, and they returned it. After taking one last long look, he walked out the door and down to the van where Seta was waiting. Climbing into the middle bench seat (his bags having been loaded earlier), he turned as the van drove off and saw his family now watching from the porch as his house retreated into the distance.

Standing on the tarmac now, Keitaro took a deep breath, smelling the jet fuel and gas exhaust in the breeze at the airport. "Let's do this, Seta-sensei. 'Time to go to far off distant lands and meet unusual exciting people,'" quoting a poster he had seen somewhere.

"And hopefully not have to do the rest of it," Seta muttered to himself. He had seen an American Marine on leave in Okinawa in civilian clothes wearing a t-shirt with the complete saying, the last part of which was 'and kill them!'; he was rather sure Keitaro did not know the rest of the saying and would not want to do the last part. Picking up his bags, he watched as his part-timer did the same and followed him up the stairway into the plane, Nikolai bringing up the rear and locking the passenger door, ground crew pulling the stairway away. After a couple of minutes the cargo plane 's prop engines came on with a roar. The plane then turned and slowly started taxiing toward the main runway for takeout.

* * *

><p><em>TsujimotoKobayakawa Residence  
>Koto City, Tokyo, Japan<br>Two hours after dropping Keitaro at his home._

Miyuki was starting to look worried. Natsumi was staring at a cup full of sake, there was an open bottle next to the cup, and she had not taken one sip.

She had known that Keitaro-kun's departure was going to make them both depressed, as they had gotten to be rather attached to the young _ronin_. She was feeling dispirited as soon as they had dropped him off at his house, but her partner had hardly spoken once they got home, and for an hour she had been sitting at the table with her sake, and done nothing but zone out.

"I think we made a mistake, Miyuki-chan." With a start, the dark haired woman realized that her friend was finally speaking. "I thought we could get involved with Keitaro-kun and not get emotional. I was wrong. So wrong." Natsumi looked at her partner and Miyuki was surprised to see her eyes glistening. "It's only been two hours and I miss Keitaro-kun so much already. I don't know if I can handle it."

"We can handle it because we have to, Natsumi-chan." Miyuki knelt down next to her partner. "We have to be strong, and wait for him to come home. That is why we gave him those pictures, so he knows what he has waiting for him in Japan."

"I know, Yuki-chan. But it still aches here." Natsumi touched her chest next to her heart. Sniffling, she looked at her lover. "Can we go to bed, Yuki? I just want you to hold me close. Please?"

"Of course, Natsumi." Miyuki leaned forward and kissed her, but a few seconds after their lips touched, there was a knock on their door. They broke off the kiss and looked at the door; they were not expecting anyone, and most people would call before coming over. There was a second knock, and this was a solid rapping on the door, almost like fellow police officers did when they were serving a search warrant.

Moving away from the brown haired girl, Miyuki walked over to her purse and drew her combo taser/pepper spray gun. Seeing that her friend was now standing and moving to the opposite side of the door, the dark haired girl moved to the knob side of the door and peered through the angled peephole lens set in the doorframe, as there were quite a few people that had a door kicked into their face when a bad guy saw that a peephole set in the middle of a door darken, presumably because someone was looking through it.

Seeing that there was only an short elderly lady standing in the hallway, Miyuki unlatched the lock and with the combo gun behind her leg opened the door. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"

"You can if you are Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto." As the two women stared at her, the older woman smiled. "My name is Hina Urashima, Keitaro's grandmother, and I think it would be a good idea to talk. I have a proposition for you I think you both will like."

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – This marks the end of the first great flashback arc (there will be at least two more, where one shows what happens in Thailand and another when Keitaro and his friends go to one of the worst cities in the known world to rescue someone and have to escape the hard way). The story will now pick up in current time after Motoko leaves the Hinata-sou and Keitaro's reaction to finding out the details. I can tell you he will NOT be happy about it, but there will be no violence as a result… much. *g*_

_Coming up in the next arc: a professor, his daughter, and a surprise guest will be showing up next chapter. Keitaro reuniting with our favorite police women. Our favorite ronin meeting an absentminded Todai aspirant with even better scores than he had. And of course, a peek into the life of a banished former swordswoman._

_A cookie to whoever identifies the cross-over character (beside the YUA ones) who shows up in this chapter. I can tell you that the character is not the only one from that series that will be in this story (I've already given a hint to who the second one is in the beginning of the story, and don't limit yourself to anime/manga either)._

_As you all may have noticed, I alluded to at least two lemons that took place off screen. Since I got a lot of positive feedback for the lemon I posted on aff(dot)net and mm(dot)org, I am more than willing to write up at least the New Years lemon, it make take a couple of weeks to do so though, since I would have to do it alongside the next main story chapter. If there is enough demand for it, I think I can be persuaded to write the farewell lemon as well, or I can put it off to a lot later. Reader suggestions are welcomed. *grin*_

_Many thanks to PCH and AZ MII for all their assistance in betaing this story._

_By now you guys should know the drill: replace the (dot) with the actual thing in the following links, copy and paste into the address window.  
><em>

_The Natsumi and Miyuki pics mentioned in the section are here: _photobucket(dot)com_/YUAWalletPics_

_The pictures of Keitaro's Glock 19 and the holster set that the girls gave him are here: _photobucket(dot)com_/ContractLaborGear_

_As of 08Jan12 0000 PST this story has had 126,379 hits, 254 Reviews, 26 C2 listings, 374 Favorite Story listings, and 350 Story Alerts. Thanks again to all my readers, especially the ones in the far off and unusual places, like Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Romania, Senegal, and the Aland Islands (another place I had to look up). *thumbs up*_


	28. Chapter 28

Ch 28

V 1.0

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously in the main time line story…<strong>_

_Sitting motionless in the darkened room, a single figure knelt on the tatami mat in the room facing the window, although she was not looking at any particular thing. The only sound was her breathing, the only light coming under the door from the hallway behind her._

_A new sound became apparent, that of footsteps. They would not have been noticed otherwise, but the house was so quiet this night that they could be heard. The steps stopped in the hallway, there was the sound of someone lightly knocking on the door, and after a long moment it clicked open, partially illuminating the empty tenant room, the light reflecting off the window glass and onto the tears trailing down the face of Tsuruko Aoyama._

_Keitaro Urashima stepped into the room and paused for a moment before he spoke, his voice even. "You and I need to talk, Aoyama-san." _

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>Late November  
>early morning<br>(almost three months after story start) _

Keitaro stared at the oak post in front of him, his fists clenched but down by his sides. He had spent the entire night trying to sleep, or failing that, calm down some, but he was still as angry now as he was last night. He had gotten up just before dawn to see his guest leave, then walked out into the back yard, winding up at the leather and cloth wrapped training post that his sister used for punching and kicking practice.

He could feel Kanako somewhere nearby. Normally, his sister would have to be relatively close for his sixth sense to pick her up, but right now he was so keyed up he could probably sense her at the bottom of the hill that the Hinata-sou was on. He could feel that she was behind him and that she was feeling a certain amount of concern for him, but then again, given the look on his face she had seen as he walked here, he could not blame her.

Feeling stinging pain in the palms of his hands, Keitaro brought his fists up in front of his face and opened them. Seeing the deep half-moon impressions that his fingernails had left in this palms, he frowned before letting his hands drop to his side and focused again on the post.

He had known things would go badly for Motoko after she had lost her honor duel with him. He had known that her family would punish her for her misuse of the family martial art, for the loss of her temper and her unjustified attacks. And while the punishment was not as bad as he was previously feared could occur, in some ways it was worse, as there was nothing being done to help the young Aoyama. Instead she was being shoved off to deal with her own problems on her own, with most of her family extending no help.

Feeling the anger thrum through his veins again, Keitaro closed his eyes, thinking back to how close he had come to hurting the one person that was looking out for Motoko now.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou formal tea room<br>the night before_

"Aoyama-san, I regret I have to do this, but I have some questions about what happened tonight with Motoko-san." Keitaro was kneeling on the center mat, looking at Tsuruko, who was kneeling on another mat in front of him. The older woman was trying her best to maintain a poker face, but he could still feel that she was nervous, not that he would blame her. Not only was he asking about the internal business of her traditional family, Kanako was standing next to the door behind her in an 'at ease' position that was in reality a modified martial arts ready stance. With the upbringing that Tsuruko had, having someone behind them in a situation like this was a sign that they were not to be trusted. Having some inkling of what had happened with the younger Aoyama, Keitaro was not in the mood to be overly polite with their guest and let his sister stay in place rather than call her to his side. His calling his guest by her family name instead of her given name as he had previously was another sign of his displeasure as well.

"I will answer what I can, but there are some things that are family matters that I will not be able to talk about." Tsuruko looked as though she did not want to say the words, but did so regardless.

"Well, I will try not to ask anything too out of line." Keitaro was focusing intently on Tsuruko. "First off, why is it that Motoko-san left before you did? Is she not returning to Kyoto with you?"

Tsuruko barely kept from flinching. "Motoko-chan needed to make her way to her new residence before it got too late in the evening. I needed to stay behind to finish arranging to ship her possessions home."

"New residence?" Keitaro asked, his face emotionless. "Motoko-san will not be returning to Kyoto with you?"

"No. She will continue her residence and schooling here in Tokyo." Tsuruko was trying to stay emotionless as well, only she was not doing as well as she would normally.

"I hope you forgive me saying this, Aoyama-san, but I was under the impression that Motoko-san was going to be punished by your family for the events of the last few days here at the Hinata-sou." While the expression on Keitaro's face remained emotionless, his tone was noticeably cooler.

"Motoko-chan's punishment was already decided and ordered by the family council." Tsuruko gave a minute flinch as Keitaro visibly reacted to the statement.

"So if I understand what you are saying, Motoko-san is not returning to Kyoto and that is part of her punishment. Do you understand how that sounds?" Keitaro leaned forward, the temperature of his voice dropping even more. "The only reason I allowed the honor duel to occur is so Motoko-san's punishment would not be too harsh. Are you telling me that was in vain?"

Tsuruko was now sitting up straight, both from the tone of the Urashima's voice and the ice cold sensation she could feel going down her spine. At first she thought that Kanako was projecting her _ki_ at her, but the sensation was all too familiar to her now. It was the same emotion she had felt when Keitaro had glared at her while holding his family's sword, the physical sensation of hostility, or as it had been previously known in martial arts circles, killing intent.

"Aoyama-san, I have to ask, what is Motoko-san's status in her family now?" Keitaro was now ramrod straight, his hands curled up and on top of his thighs, his eyes partially hidden by his glasses. However, the temperature in the room seemed to still be dropping, making the feeling of the sweat siding down her spine all that more uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, Keitaro-sama, I cannot speak of that." Tsuruko could barely keep from cringing as his head tilted slightly, the light now gleaming off the lens of his glasses, making them completely opaque.

"By saying that Aoyama-san, I start thinking the worst has occurred with Motoko-san. Please tell me I am wrong." The Urashima's fingers flexed in his lap before becoming still again.

"I can certainly tell you that the worst did not occur, Keitaro-sama." Tsuruko could still feel the cold in the room, but at least it was no longer intensifying.

"But from what I understand, a member of your family with emotional problems and a history of acting out is not returning home and getting the help she needs, instead she is being effectively banished." Tsuruko could not help it, she had tried to not react to the Urashima's words, but the twitch of her eyebrow was seen by the man in front of her.

"You are not serious. Tell me that is not the case. _Tell me you did not banish a seventeen year old girl from her family!_" Keitaro did not quite yell the last statement, but it was a close thing. The cold temperature in the room suddenly, massively increased, almost to the point where their breath would be visible. Instead of responding to his almost-shouted words, Tsuruko instead looked down at the mat before her and keep silent. Behind her, Kanako cringed and almost took a step back at her position by the door, never having seen her brother this angry before.

"You really did it." Tsuruko's head rose up only to see Keitaro glaring at her, his eyes now visible now. "You have a family member with martial arts training and *weapons* that has anger issues, and instead of helping her with them, you send her to another city, only for her problems to get worse. And now that those problems have spilled over and affected the family she was boarding with, what do you do? You blame her entirely for the problem and throw her out! Out of sight, out of mind, right?" he snarled.

A long terrible silence filled the room, the three people motionless, the cold in the room reaching meat locker level, until softly spoken words broke the stillness. "I did what I could."

"What was that?" Keitaro growled.

"I said I did what I could." Tsuruko slowly looked up and at Keitaro. "Motoko-chan's punishment originally was to be expelled from the family, banned from using the family martial arts and left to fend for herself. I managed to convince them to reduce the punishment to temporary banishment and I arranged for financial support and lodging. If she stays out of trouble and sufficiently makes up for her misdeeds, she will be allowed back into the family at the lowest rank, and very probably not as heir again."

"And how did you convince your family to go along with such a merciful punishment?" Keitaro had noticed that Tsuruko had said nothing of the ban on using the family style being relaxed, and for someone like Motoko, that was a fate almost worse than death.

"I blackmailed them." Here Tsuruko looked into Keitaro's eyes. "I had threatened to refuse to retake my place as family heir and to walk away from the family entirely if Motoko-chan was expelled. Since my sister and I are the only full-blooded Aoyama of our generation left this was a threat they took seriously. They insisted on serious punishment for her actions, and finally we settled on the ban and temporary banishment. I am now supporting my sister with my own money, however."

Silence once again fell in the room, only this time the cold feeling started to decrease, the temperature slowly but surely returning to normal.

"Aoyama-san, I apologize for my harsh words earlier. I let my temper get the better of me, and I spoke angrily as a result." Keitaro performed a sitting bow, only to see Tsuruko do a deeper bow in return.

"It is I who must apologize, Keitaro-sama. It is though our family's inactions and decisions that this came to be, and our latest actions did nothing to help resolve them." Tsuruko straightened up, but her head remained tilted down, her eyes focused on the mat before her.

After another long moment, Keitaro was the one that now broke the silence. "Is there any assistance you need in shipping Motoko-san's possessions?"

"No. Everything is now packed in boxes and labeled, and a shipping company will arrive tomorrow to pick them up." Motoko's possession consisted mostly of training clothing and weapons. Her actual sword, _Shishu_, was going to go to Tsuruko's home, as she was secretly disobeying her family's order to destroy her sister's _katana_ in the hopes of one day returning it to her. "If you do not mind, I am leaving the furniture we paid for. You can do with it as you wish."

"That is acceptable, Aoyama-san." Keitaro looked at the swordswoman for a long moment. "You will be leaving tomorrow morning after the boxes are picked up?"

"If you do not mind, I will leave first thing tomorrow. The shippers already have their instructions, and I do not wish to impose on you any longer. When they arrive if you could show them to Motoko's… former room… they will take the boxes and load them on their truck. I do not have to be here for that."

"Very well. As I've said before, I'm sorry it came to this, Aoyama-san. There is one last thing however." The Urashima watched as the Aoyama raised her head again, her eyes focusing on his now. "Tell your family that I will not forget what they allowed to happen here, and what their reactions to it were. I will also remember in the future who showed mercy and who did not."

Tsuruko's eyes widened at the statement. It was not an outright denouncement of the ties between their two families, but it was a near thing, one that her family would not be happy to hear.

"Kanako-chan will escort you to your room, Tsuruko-san. Have a good night, if that is even possible at this point, " Keitaro said, unmistakably dismissing his guest, who then came to her feet and left the room, his sister right behind her, the clan heir being left alone in the room.

* * *

><p><em>the next morning<em>

Tsuruko Aoyama left at the break of dawn, having called a taxi to come pick her up. Once the cab came up the access road to the rear of the house, the swordswoman loaded her roller bag into the trunk and then turned back toward the house, where the two Urashima silently stood next to each other. After bowing deeply and seeing the siblings return her bow, wordlessly Tsuruko unslung the bag containing her two swords and got into the cab, closing the car door behind her. The taxi drove off, and Keitaro turned and moved away the house, walking up to the training post in the back yard, staring at it for some unknown amount of time before he finally felt the presence of another person coming up behind him, easily identified by the smell of cigarette smoke.

"How bad was it, Kei-kun?" Haruka had to leave early the evening before as she had to help close and clean up the tea house. After it was all done, it was a little too late to come back to the main house, so she decided to wait until morning to get caught up with events.

"Pretty bad, Haru-chan. Motoko-san wasn't expelled from her family, but it was a near thing. Instead they banished her and banned her from using her family style. If she 'plays nice'," here Keitaro made finger quote marks, "they may let her back in. The good news is that her sister is now financially supporting her, so hopefully she won't end up on the street or worse."

"Damn." Haruka lit a cigarette, and even though Keitaro gave her a brief frown, he said nothing about it. She looked at her nephew for a few moments, finally turning her head away to exhale smoke before looking back at him. "You did all you could, Keitaro-kun." The older Urashima knew what he was thinking, not that her words made him feel much better.

"I know." Keitaro's words were somewhat lacking in conviction.

"You can't save everyone, Kei-kun." Haruka was being semi-facetious, so she did not expect the frown on his face.

"That is just an excuse people give. You do what you can anyway, because if everyone were to say that, no one even tries. There would not be much good in this world if it were always someone else's problem." Keitaro turned and focused again on the training post in front of him. "Kanako-chan snuck into Tsuruko-san's bag while she was in the shower and copied Motoko-san's new information for me. We'll be keeping an eye on her. If she gets into something too deep, we'll be there for her."

Haruka stood there silently smoking as Keitaro continued staring at the post. After finishing the smoke and tamping out the butt, the older Urashima finally spoke again. "What are you trying to do, break that post with your eyes?"

"I'm not at that level yet. I'm sure Granny could though." Haruka smirked at the observation. "No, I was close to losing my temper earlier, and I wanted to have something to punch in case I did." Keitaro raised his fist and lightly tapped the wrapped target area. "I did a punch like that once, and my _chi_ wasn't properly set. Almost broke a knuckle."

"Live and learn, cousin." Keitaro turned his head and looked at his erstwhile cousin-turned-aunt.

"Or better yet, learn from other people's mistakes. It's a lot less painful that way." Keitaro turned and walked back to the house, Haruka following behind him.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>Early December  
>late morning<br>(three months after story start) _

Keitaro was frowning as he looked at the screen before him. Computer literacy was not one of his greater talents, but he still knew enough to get by. Unfortunately, setting up a laptop computer was not among his skills. However, Haruka had insisted in his leaving the technological dark ages and getting online with the rest of the world.

Keitaro had protested that he did not have the money to buy a new computer, only to have a laptop carry bag slap up against his chest. As the _ronin_ juggled the bag to keep it from falling, his aunt told him that she had replaced her laptop with a new one. After wiping and reformatting the older but still serviceable computer, she had decided to give it to her 'favorite nephew'."

Sitting at the low table in his room, Keitaro was able to use the wireless access Kaolla Su had set up from the FTTH 10GB internet connection she had paid to have installed and maintained at the Sou for her research projects. Su allowed the residents of the dorm to use for the wi-fi as well as its attendant firewalls and antivirus programs for free, so it was a simple matter to download the email and browser programs that he was more used to. Certain browser systems were a little too blue-screen-y and vulnerable in Keitaro's experience, so he used the open-source Kyuubi browser instead.

Noticing the differences in the browser since he had gone downloaded it last, Keitaro opened the Instant Messaging and mail program that went with it and logged on. After seeing that the email account he had originally opened when he started to work for Seta was still in place after not using it for almost a year he imported the few contacts and set the preferences and alerts, which promptly informed him he had 157 new emails awaiting his attention.

Sighing, Keitaro opened the email program and looked at the various emails that had gotten past his spam filter, seeing that roughly a third of them were offering discount Viagra and Cialis, another third were asking for him to launder money for some deposed third world leader through his bank account, and the last third were offering access to free hardcore porn. Clicking and deleting his way through the list, going from the oldest to the newest, he finally got to the final screen and after deleting the obvious spam, he was left with four legit emails… including one with an email sending address that he belatedly recognized, with a title that caused him to halt in his tracks… '_Two Lovely Ladies Waiting For Their Hero_', dated a week previous.

Opening the email, Keitaro quickly read it. His two trainers were apparently impatiently awaiting his scheduled return from Thailand at the end of the year, and were eager to hear from him as soon as he could. It was obvious that Miyuki had written most of the email, but she had changed the font for part of the message so that Natsumi could write her own message, one that caused Keitaro's cheeks to redden. Finally, the end of the message had a photo attachment that, after being automatically scanned by the email and anti-virus programs, produced a photo of the two girls that made Keitaro blush noticeable. After saving the email and the photo in a secure and innocuously titled folder, he closed the email program and the browser and started the shut-down process for the computer.

Tapping his fingers on the table as the laptop was shutting down, Keitaro pondered his dilemma. There was not a week that went by that he did not think of the two girls, but after he had arrived home from Thailand, he had been hesitant to contact them. Given what he had seen and done in Samui and Roanapur, he was more than a little reluctant to talk about it with the two policewomen. Even though the Thai government had ruled that he had acted in self-defense in most of his actions, there were some things that he had done that the Thais did not officially know he had done, even though they had at the very least suspected his involvement. But given that Keitaro had done what that the national police had previously said was impossible, the Thais were not about to rock the boat, instead arranging for the survivors of the expedition to be quickly sent out of the country for their protection.

However, time was running out for him to decide on what to do. Natsumi and Miyuki knew that the expedition had been scheduled to return the first week of January, which gave him a little less than a month to make a decision and act on it. Keitaro did want to reunite with his two lovers very much, and not just for the obvious reasons. The girls were the best friends he had ever had, even more than Shirai and Haitani, the two guys he had been friends with back in high school and were now also _ronin_.

Hearing the disk drive of the laptop come to a halt, Keitaro looked and saw that the computer was completely off. Closing the screen, he pushed himself up and away from the table. It was getting close to lunchtime, and he had a plate full of Shinobu's leftovers to look forward to, which even reheated were better than most restaurant meals.

Walking downstairs, Keitaro noted how quiet the house was. It was a week after Motoko had left the Hinata-sou, and the other tenants were still affected by it, most noticeably Su. The hyperactive foreign girl often made the swordswoman her reluctant playmate, as she was the only tenant strong and durable enough to keep up with her. Once Motoko had left, Su spent most of her days shut up in her outdoors lab building, coming out only to eat or sleep, acting like a shadow of her former restless self.

Naru and Kitsune had been acting somewhat nervous around him as well. They now realized that Motoko had very probably had been asked to leave the Sou due to rules violations, and they did not want to catch the manager's attention in a negative way.

Kanako had gone off for the day on her motorcycle, telling her brother that Motoko was apparently moving to a new residence. She was going to keep an eye on the former tenant to get the address and get a feel for the new location.

Just as Keitaro was passing through the living room, he heard the sound of a engine coming from behind the house. Given that Su's Mecha-Tama had a hybrid turbine engine with a completely different sound signature, that meant that a vehicle was coming up the rear access road. They were not expecting any deliveries or visitors, so his curiosity was naturally piqued.

Walking out the back door, Keitaro saw that the vehicle was a beat-up panel van, one that looked like it had not just been through a war or two, but driven underwater between those wars. Dented and rusted, the off-white colored van came to a halt at the end of the walkway leading to the rear house door, the engine sputtering and backfiring a couple of times before it finally shut off.

Standing at the end of the walkway, Keitaro could hear some metallic banging sounds come from the inside of the van before the double side doors finally crashed open. A blonde haired blue eyed girl fell out of the opening, nimbly rolling to her feet and looking around. Wearing a multicolored tee shirt and shorts, she looked to be in her mid-teens.

"You sure this is the place, Poppa?" The girl asked loudly in English. "This place looks too fancy for someone like the dork."

A older male voice responded from inside the van. "This is the Hinata-sou, I used to come here when I was seeing Haruka-chan."

Keitaro thought he recognized the voice, but his thoughts on the matter were interrupted by the blonde girl jumping at him, yelling "Keitaro! You dork, why the hell haven't you called!"

Barely able to keep his footing after catching the screaming girl, Keitaro moved his head to the side to avoid the swat the girl aimed at him. "And a good day to you too, Sarah-chan," he said as he carefully lowered the girl to the ground.

Sarah clenched her fists and looked like she wanted to take another swing at him, but instead she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Don't give me that 'Sarah-chan' crap, you dork. Why haven't you come to see us or at least called!"

"I have been talking with your father, Sarah," Keitaro was not about to annoy the volatile teen by using honorifics again. "It was how he knew that I was staying here at the Sou."

"Yeah, well you didn't call to talk to me!" Moving toward Keitaro, Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing the side of her face against his chest. "I missed you, dork," she said in a lower voice.

"I'm sorry Sarah, things have been kind of hectic here." Keitaro ruffled the blonde teen's hair, which was worn in two long loose ponytails streaming from the top of her head.

"Hey there, Part-timer, how's it going?" Moving carefully, Noriyasu Seta stepped out of the driver's door, his right leg in a cast and two crutches in hand. Standing up, Seta put the crutches under his arms and hobbled over to where his daughter and friend were standing.

"Seta-sensei, it's good to see that you're better." Keitaro was telling the truth; the last time he had seen his boss he had been in a hospital bed swathed in bandages, recovering from a badly broken leg and gunshot wounds. "I didn't think you would be out of the hospital so soon though."

The lanky professor and explorer gave a half-grin. "Well, I heal really fast, which you need in my line of work. Plus the nurses in the hospital were all ganging up on me, so I knew it was time to leave."

"That's not a big surprise." A female voice came from behind the van, and Haruka Urashima walked around the vehicle, coming to a halt next to her former boyfriend. Staring at him for a long moment, she gave him a half-hearted swat to the head. "Idiot, you should still be in bed."

"Hey, hey, no beating up on the cripple! But if you want to make me go to bed, I can think of a couple easier ways to do it." Seta waggled his eyebrows at his former girlfriend, who swatted at him again, only to miss when he moved his head.

"Seta-sempai? Is that you?" A different female voice asked, and the group all turned to see the residents of the Sou standing at the rear door. Su and Shinobu looked curious, Kitsune looked surprised and somewhat worried, but Naru was wide-eyed, as though she was seeing a ghost.

"Hello Naru-chan, Kitsune-chan. Been a long time since I've seen you last." The grin on Seta's face slipped down to a smile, but he was still happy to see them. "I don't recognize the two young ladies with you though."

"Those are Shinobu Maehara and Kaolla Su. They are all residents here at the dormitory." Keitaro introduced the two younger tenants, and while Shinobu did a half bow when her name was spoken, Su merely bounced in place and smiled. "Girls, this is Noriyasu Seta, professor at Todai and my sensei." Seta gave a head nod in return. "And this young lady here is Sarah McDougal, Seta-sensei's adopted daughter."

"_Ohayo_, it is good to meet you." Sarah said in accented but understandable Japanese, pulling away from Keitaro to do a half bow like Shinobu had.

"You should have called and let us know you were coming, Seta-sensei. We would have had a better meal ready." Keitaro said. It was the weekend, and there was no prepared meal for lunch, merely leftovers and sandwiches.

Scratching the back of his head, Seta grinned. "To tell the truth, there is someone else here to see you, and I wanted it to be a surprise." He turned to look at the van, and everyone else present did the same as metallic banging sounds started to come from the rear doors. The double doors finally crashed open and what looked to be a ramp fell to the ground. After a long moment, a giant tortoise, about a meter and a half long and weighing about 300 kilos, slid down the ramp on its bottom shell, extending its legs and head once it was on the ground. Looking around, the tortoise saw Keitaro and started moving toward him, walking rather fast for such an unwieldy looking animal. Coming to a stop in front of Keitaro, who had dropped down onto one knee, the tortoise looked him in the face and, surprising everyone, chirped out a '_myuh!_'

"Gidget! It's good to see you." Keitaro reached out with his hand and stroked the top of her head. The tortoise, rather than snapping at him or moving away, moved its head into the touch. Looking up at Seta, he asked "How did she get here to Japan?"

The professor smiled at his student. "She led a friend's boat to Osaka, then they made their way to the hospital I was at. Surprised the heck out of me when I went out for a walk in the garden one morning and Gidget here was eating the landscaping. Managed to keep the hospital from calling the animal control people once I offered to pay for the plants."

Keitaro frowned as he stood up. "Wait, she *led* a boat to Japan?" Giant tortoises were perfectly capable of traveling at sea, but Gidget had traits that were almost supernatural. "Where's the friend?"

"Right here." Everyone turned to see another girl standing next to Seta. Looking uncannily like Shinobu, the girl had a deep tanned complexion and waist length straight black hair, while also wearing a pastel tee shirt and shorts like Sarah. "What is the matter, Mista Taro? You don't recognize me?" The girl said softly in heavily accented English.

This time, it was Keitaro's eyes that widened. "Nyamo-chan? Is that you?" It was a rhetorical question, as no one else called him 'Mista Taro', but cleaned up and in feminine clothing, she did not resemble the ragamuffin that had helped him so much in Thailand. Moving over toward the girl, he was only slightly surprised that she hugged him, only with slightly less enthusiasm than Sarah. "How did you get to Japan?"

"My boat." Given her language difficulties, Nyamo tended to be a little laconic.

"Nyamo-chan, you have a little sailboat! That was thousands of kilometers!" Nyamo's boat was a one mast open hulled vessel, most certainly *not* meant for open seas travel.

"Gidget protect." The girl nodded toward the giant tortoise. "She catch fish, lead to islands with water."

"Gods, Nyamo-chan." Keitaro hugged the girl to him this time, astounded that she had made it through such a dangerous journey unscathed. "Why did you do it?"

The tanned girl frowned. "Much trouble when you and Mista Seta leave. Bad men come looking for you. They look for people who know you, so I hide. Gidget lead to boat, lead away from islands. We get to Japan, she lead to Mista Seta."

Keitaro looked up at Seta, who shrugged uncomfortably. His boss knew most of what had happened in Thailand, but the really bad stuff happened while he was recovering in a Samui hospital. It was still enough to convince him to shelter the girl rather than have her sent back to a country where bad people were looking for her.

"Keitaro-san, who is this girl?" Kitsune's question snapped him back to the present.

"This is Nyamo-chan, she is the granddaughter of a friend of Seta-sensei. She was helping him out on the expedition when we had our troubles, she helped save his life when he was hurt. She's staying with you, right?" Keitaro looked over at Seta, who had a semi-pained look in his eyes that he quickly concealed.

"Of course." Seta answered. "Can we go inside, I can't stay on my feet for too long."

"Of course, of course. Shinobu, could you make some tea? We're going to have some guests over for lunch and probably dinner as well. If you will follow me?" Keitaro gestured toward the door of the Sou, and everyone began moving toward it, Shinobu leading and Gidget and Nyamo bringing up the rear.

* * *

><p><em>AN – We are now back to the main story line, with new people appearing… with magical animals to boot. *g* Most of you realize that I also increased Sarah's age in this story as well, and the reason is that as bad as things go for her in Thailand as a 14 year old girl, it would be much worse_ if she were 9 years old as in canon._  
><em>

_There have been roughly 2K hits on the CL lemon I wrote, and so far no one has written 'youz suk dood', so I guess I did something right. *grin* I pretty much have the next lemon chapter plotted out, all I have to do is write it out now…_

_The winners of the chocolate cookies with macadamia nuts for correctly identifying the cross-over character in the last chapter are Yoshi en Verde, Chris Ganale, and kagehisa. There are going to be two more MW chars that will appear… they are the other contract laborers that Seta hired as security. Someone already correctly guessed who one is, you may be surprised by the other one._

_This week's winner of 'most unusual place reading my story' is *drumroll* the Islamic Republic of Iran. Seriously, that's what the stats page told me. What makes it even more interesting is that *one* person/IP address read the entire story in one day. And then some more, not that I am complaining. The runner up this week is Botswana, where another person/IP address read the entire story in one day._

_Once again, many thanks to PCH and AZ MII for all their assistance in betaing this story._

_As of 23Jan2 0000 PST this story has had 136,426 hits, 272 Reviews, 27 C2 listings, 396 Favorite Story listings, and 361 Story Alerts. Thanks again, guys. *thumbs up*_


	29. Chapter 29

Ch 29

V 1.0

_Hinata-sou Dormitory  
>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture<br>Metro Tokyo, Japan  
>Early December<br>early afternoon  
>(three months after story start) <em>

"_You want me to do what?"_ It was not quite a shout, but Keitaro Urashima's voice did have a similar ear ringing quality when he asked his question. And to his recipient's credit, he did not flinch at being at the receiving end of it.

Noriyasu Seta scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, not at all put out at his student yelling at him. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I had better options Keitaro-kun, but this is the best way to solve my problem. I live in a bachelor apartment, and if you think my office is bad, my flat is worse. Plus I'm still having trouble with my leg. It really would be better for everyone if you let the girls stay here at the Sou."

After Seta, his daughter Sarah, and their friends Nyamo and Gidget had arrived at the Sou, they had all eaten a light lunch of leftovers and sandwiches that Shinobu had prepared for the residents. Afterwards, the group had split up, with Sarah and Su going off to look at her research lab and Haruka going along to make sure no one was blown up and Kitsune and Naru retiring to the latter's room. Shinobu and Nyamo were spending time in the kitchen swapping recipes; even with the two of them not speaking each other's native language, they both knew enough English to understand each other. Seta had asked to speak to Keitaro privately, so he had led the older man to the back yard and pulled out a lawn chair for him to sit in, with another chair opposite him where he sat down, only to spring to his feet when Seta asked his question.

"Why can't you get a bigger apartment for all of you?" Keitaro was more than a little surprised that someone wanted even more young girls to live in a dorm run by a young male manager.

"Because I don't get paid very much as a professor at Todai. And the leftover money from the expedition got used up for one thing or another," Seta replied, causing Keitaro to internally cringe. Technically speaking, they had only been in Thailand for a little more than half a year when everything went badly, but having to do the pay-outs to the families for the ones that did not make it back wiped most of the money out. Seta's share had been used to grease certain palms to make sure they all made it out of the country afterwards. Keitaro's share was about half of what he was supposed to have received, but he had little inclination to use what he considered blood money.

"Please tell me this would be a temporary arrangement?" Keitaro had a feeling it was not, and Seta's next words did not encourage him.

"Maybe?" Seta had a hopeful hangdog expression on his face.

Groaning, Keitaro rubbed the back of his neck. "You do have permanent custody of Sarah, yes? The adoptive father shtick isn't just to make things simple?"

"Yeah, the paperwork finally went through in the courts. It takes a while for that kind of thing to process. Once that was done I had to have legally certified copies of the documents and court approvals sent to America so that Sarah would be released from her uncle's guardianship and sent to me. Just in time too, Sarah was getting to be too much of a handful for him." Seta leaned back in his chair and close his eyes. "I'm glad that mess is over with."

Keitaro sat back down in his chair opposite Seta. He had close up and personal experience with the young American girl being on a tear. It took an incident involving a deliberately broken clay pot artifact, a open-hand spanking by her father, and several hours with the shards and a tube of super glue putting the pot back together to break the girl of her habit of throwing tantrums when things did not go her way or she felt she was not receiving enough attention. The girl could still act like a brat on occasion. "You know, it isn't over, Seta-sensei."

"What do you mean?" Seta cracked one eye open to look at the younger man.

"Nyamo-chan isn't in this country legally, and she's under-aged to boot. You're going to have to arrange for a visa *and* at least temporary guardianship for her to stay in Japan." Keitaro watched as Seta groaned in pain, bringing his clenched fists to his eyes and rubbing them, his glasses pushed up onto his forehead.

"Gods, I didn't think of that. I'm going to have to burn through a bunch of favors at the Ministry of Justice, with Immigration, with the freakin' Foreign Affairs Ministry…" Seta let his hands drop and peered at Keitaro. "Why did you have to save my life, Keitaro-kun? I would have died a simple death from that gunshot wound, instead I'm going to die the death of a thousand paper cuts… _again!_"

"Because for one thing, it was Nyamo-chan and Yuri that saved your life, and secondly, if you had kicked it *I* would have been the one that would have to take responsibility for that hellcat you call a daughter, at least until another guardian would be found. No thank you. Nyamo-chan is the one that owe your life to." Keitaro gave a half-smirk when Seta groaned again and let his head drop back again. "Speaking of shooting, what am I supposed to do with my pistol? Do I have to turn it in to the school or to you?" Seta muttered something, but the Urashima was not able to understand him. "Say again?"

"I said, the pistol's officially yours. It's registered in your name as your property, and the carry permit is good for three years. As long as you don't do something stupid with it and you stay employed as a Todai contractor, the National Police won't say anything about it."

"You mean *I* own it? I thought it was the school's property. And *am* I still employed by the school? I've haven't exactly gone in to work since we got back to Japan three months ago." Once the trio had arrived in Osaka, Seta had told Keitaro to not bother going to the Todai campus, as he was essentially working for Seta alone, and until the professor had left the hospital and returned to Tokyo, the _ronin_ was to consider himself on (unfortunately unpaid) leave. His pay up to the point where they had left Thailand had been deposited electronically in his back account, so he did have something to show for the almost eight months he had been away from home, but the payments had stopped once they had returned to Japan.

"You really think the University of Tokyo is going to *own* guns? Nope, you're still a contractor for Todai, and now the envy of every gun nut _otaku_ in Japan. You are the proud owner of a Glock pistol, complete with high capacity magazines and ammo. You could always turn it in to the police and have it destroyed, but I think your girlfriends would skin you alive if you did that." Seta pushed himself back so he was sitting properly in his chair. "How are your two girlfriends, by the way?" It was now Keitaro's turn to mumble. "Say again?"

"I haven't called them." The younger man's head dropped down.

"What? You've been back in country for *three months* and you haven't called your sexy girlfriends? What the hell is wrong with you man?" Seta was now the one leaning forward toward the reluctant speaker.

"What am I supposed to say? 'Hi girls, I'm back, I know I'm three months early, but our expedition got torn apart by pirates and I had to sneak into and shoot my way out of the ugliest hellhole on Earth? Oh, and as a result I probably have a higher body count than any single Japanese since the Pacific War?'" Keitaro's chin was almost touching his chest, his head was bowed so low.

Seta sighed as he looked at his younger compatriot. Both of them knew that Keitaro had done what he had to both get in to and out of Roanapur, but the methods and tactics were not something that most 'civilized' people would be comfortable with. Sarah never spoke about what had happened, even when asked about it, and Seta had the feeling that there was some disassociation going on there. Even though the younger teen had not been physically assaulted during her ordeal, given what she seen happen to others was enough to traumatize most anyone, let alone a young girl.

"I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Natsumi-san and Miyuki-san were really into you. I didn't say anything back in January, but I think they were pretty torn up when we had to leave for Thailand. You should at least call and say you're back. Who knows, maybe they might actually be looking forward to seeing your sorry butt." Seta grinned at Keitaro, but it faded as he saw that the other male's expression did not change. "What, you got a 'Dear John' letter from them?"

"No. Worse." Keitaro was still not looking up.

"You're now the proud father of two bouncing babies?" The older man saw Keitaro shiver at that.

"Don't even joke about that, Seta-sensei. I got a email from them last week, barely saw it today. They say they are really looking forward to seeing me again." For some reason, Keitaro was apparently not thrilled by that fact.

"And?" Seta drew out the word.

"You know I don't have a poker face worth a damn. If I start telling them what happened, they are going to realize something really bad happened, and they're going to want details. And what then?" It was now Keitaro's turn to run his hands over his face.

"Then you give them the minimum amount of details necessary and you hope to hell they are understanding about it. You seem to be forgetting they are police officers, they've seen a whole bunch of bad stuff on the job." Seta watched as Keitaro finally raised his head.

"Roanapur level bad?" asked Keitaro, a flat look on his face. Seta did not respond to the question, as there was nothing he could really say. As bad as the nearest big town close to the expedition had been, with gambling joints and whorehouses, Roanapur was an entire order of magnitude worse. There were people that said it was the modern day version of Sodom and Gomorrah. Seta had not seen the infamous port city himself as he had been laid up in a Thai hospital after the pirate attack , but the stories that came from there were not for the faint of heart.

"Well, the only advice I can give you is what a Muslim colleague once told me. _Inshallah_." Seeing Keitaro's eyes fix onto his own, Seta gave a small smile and a shrug. "It's Arabic for 'God willing'. There is only so much you can do, after that it's God's will. Unless you want to get all determined and to do the impossible again."

Keitaro snorted. "Not for a good long time if I can help it, Seta-sensei." Standing up, he looked back at his boss. "You going to stay the night along with the girls?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Wanted to kick back for a while, driving with a leg in a cast is the pits." Moving carefully, Seta got to his feet and put his crutches under his arms. "You have a room with a western bed?"

Keitaro nodded, waiting for his boss to walk up to him and then the two walked along sides toward the door. "And if you promise to not hit on my aunt, I'll give you one of the ground floor guest rooms."

Seta came to a halt, and it took Keitaro a moment to notice. "Seriously?"

"Nah. But Haru-chan will smack you silly if you keep coming onto her, and I don't think you need to break the other leg." The _ronin_ watched as the Todai professor thought about it for a moment before starting to walk again.

"I think I'll take my chances. Haruka-chan did like me, once upon a time."

"Yeah, but jerking her around with another girl didn't help." Keitaro had heard about the love triangle consisting of Seta, Haruka, and Cynthia McDougal, Sarah's now deceased mother.

"Would you believe that I didn't know they were interested in me that way? Plus your aunt was still in the 'hit the guy you like' mode from childhood?"

"And people say *I'm* hopeless with girls," was Keitaro's response as the two men walked toward the house.

* * *

><p><em>Naru Narusegawa's Room<br>Hinata-sou Dormitory  
>mid afternoon<em>

"He barely recognized me, Kitsune. It's like I was some kind of stranger." While the fox-eyed girl was the one that was drinking alcohol at the moment, it was Naru that acted and sounded like she was blitzed.

Kitsune was watching her best friend with a worried look on her face. She had known that Naru had a massive crush on Seta, one that had intensified after the sexual assault she had suffered on a train as a high school student. Seta was the only male that Naru did not feel threatened by and she let him get close to her emotionally. However, the older college grad student had not realized what she felt for him, or he just did not want to get involved with the much younger girl. In any case, while Seta had tutored Naru in school materials and taught her some martial arts (the infamous Naru Punch being the majority of it), he never made a romantic overture toward her, and then abruptly disappeared from their lives after he got his doctorate in Archeology and started working at Todai.

Naru and Kitsune were sitting at the low table in the younger girl's room. While Kitsune had a glass with lemon shochu and ice in it, Naru had a large mug of hot chocolate she had made herself, using an envelope of powder mix and the hot water that was left over from Shinobu making tea. The fox girl knew this was a bad sign, as her friend only drank chocolate when she was depressed. Even now, the mug was half empty and Naru was resting her head on her crossed arms on the table, her face turned toward her friend.

"It's been three years since you saw him last Naru-chan. I know you had feelings for him, but he never did or said anything to show that he thought of you as more than a student of his." Kitsune had to be careful about this subject, as Naru had on a couple of occasions gotten severely depressed, to the point where she stayed in bed for days. Thankfully she would snap out of it after two or three days, but that had been without a stressor like this one appearing in their lives. The fact that Motoko Aoyama had left the Hinata-sou the previous week under a thin story that was apparently to cover the fact that she had been asked to leave by the Urashimas for a major rule violation had put them under some anxiety and unease, even if the two younger girls had reported seeing that the former resident was still at their school, although with a *much* shorter haircut.

"I know. It's just that I start thinking about things, what I never had the nerve to tell him. He's the one guy that never made a pass at me, never eyeballed me, never acted perverted. You know how guys act around me. Seta-sempai was the only one to never act like that." Naru somehow managed to slump lower on the table without even moving.

Kitsune said nothing and instead took a drink from her glass. While it was true that she had the bigger bust between the two of them – in fact, she had been one of the first girls at school to start developing – Naru had both the figure and the face that all their male schoolmates desired, at least for more than just a grope in the dark. The problem was that Naru was not the most social person to begin with, and dedicated to her studies as well. So while Naru had to fend off suitors in school, most of whom Kitsune would have taken and rode into the ground, the fox girl had dress in tight provocative clothes and act like a drunken party girl to get attention, which wound up being from the kind of boys that were not exactly looking for a serious relationship. After a while the act had stuck; Mitsune Konno had disappeared, and Kitsune the good time girl was what was left.

"You know, even though I was kind of interested in going to Todai all my life, it wasn't until I met Seta-sempai that I really got serious about it. I wanted to get the best test scores possible and getting tutored by him was icing on the cake." Naru slowly raised her head and reached out for her mug, taking a long drink and draining it. Putting the mug back on the table top, the brunette leaned her head against her hand, her arm and elbow braced against the table. "Those were the happiest days I had in school, until…" Naru's voice trailed off.

Kitsune inwardly winced. As bad as it had been on the train, the aftermath had almost made it worse. Even in current times there was not a lot of sensitivity in Japan toward victims of sexual assault, especially if there was no actual rape. All the two girls were able to do was to make a report to a foot patrol officer at the train station who was patently not very interested, who took their information and sent them home. There had never been a follow-up call or visit by the police, and even though Naru's parents had been sympathetic and did what they could, they had never taken their daughter to counseling.

After that day, Naru would react badly to being touched unexpectedly or without permission. It had gotten to the point where the brunette almost slugged a male teacher that had touched her shoulder from behind and startled her. Male students that tried asking her out on dates were dismissed out of hand. Anyone that tried to push the issue would get what was called 'the demon-eyed stare' where it appeared that her eyes would turn red and strands of her hair would form into devil horns. And the gods help anyone that laid a hand on her; the first one to do so wound up with a badly bruised and swollen face and Naru had suffered a sprained wrist from punching incorrectly.

When Seta had seen the bandaged wrist and asked about it, all Naru said was that some guy had grabbed her and she defended herself. Seta had asked her to show him how she hit the guy, and after she demonstrated with her uninjured hand, Seta showed her the correct way to punch, including how to lock the wrist to prevent injury and proper stance to transfer the energy properly and not get hurt or thrown back. Seta had made an off-hand remark about using _chi_ to reinforce and power a punch, and when Naru had asked about it, the tutor had responded that sometimes using emotion would do the same as _chi_, and the most common emotions used were fear and anger. That had been all the grad student had told her, but Naru was able to use that to figure it out, and she started using it when she hit men she thought were perverted or touching her. Thus, the Naru Punch was born.

"So what are you going to do now, Naru-chan?" Kitsune watched as her friend slowly turned so that she was facing her, even though her eyes had something close to a thousand yard stare in them.

"There really isn't much I can do, Kitsune. Seta-sempai is so far beyond me now I don't stand a chance. Even if he wasn't a Todai professor and a father, he's more interested in Haruka-san than me." Indeed, throughout the luncheon, Seta had spent most of the time flirting with the Urashima woman, who apparently enjoying the attention from the handsome academic even though she acted annoyed. "Besides, what am I going to do, marry him and become the stepmother to a girl the same age as my little sister?"

"Well, there are other fish in the sea, Naru-chan. All those fine-looking undergrads at Todai to look forward to." Kitsune did not really know why she was using this line of thought to try and cheer up Naru; her friend was as close to asexual as anyone she knew, which was a shame since she could have cut a wide swath though the school dating scene if she wanted to. There had even been some girls at high school who had wanted Naru to join the school choir or glee club because of her excellent singing voice, but the girl had refused outright. When a teacher had tried to make her join either of the music clubs as a extracurricular club school requirement, Naru had instead joined a _juku_ study group; when the teacher tried to force the issue, Naru had given her the demon-eyed stare and that had been the end of it. It was a shame really, since there were scouts for both the music and TV industry that looked for talent at the various recitals and concerts, and with her looks Naru could have been picked up as a J-pop idol singer.

"Yeah, right." Naru was still looking past Kitsune, so the fox-eyed girl gave it one more try to snap her out of her funk.

"Hey Naru-chan, remember back in school when the math teacher was instructing us on multiplying positive and negative numbers? He said that while you get a positive answer from multiplying two negatives, and a negative answer from a positive and a negative, there was no way to get a negative answer from two positivess, and that slacker Ichiro in the back of the class went, 'Yeah, right.'" Kitsune grinned at her friend, and Naru had no choice but to give a half-hearted smile.

"Gods Kitsune, making math jokes now. It must really be bad." Naru straightened up before pushing herself back and up from the table. "Let's get going, we can continue this in the hot spring. It's almost time for female-only bathing." Kitsune nodded and pushed herself up from the table as well. She turned at walked toward the door but halted and turned her head when Naru spoke up.

"You know, mathematicians have a joke. If you keep decreasing distance by halfs, you may never get there, but at some point you will be close enough that it won't matter." Naru watched as Kitsune mentally replayed what was just said before she understood what was meant and groaned in response.

"You should stick to singing Naru-chan. You're not going to make your fortune as a stand-up comic." The brunette merely smiled in response.

"Thanks anyway, Kitsune. Give me a couple of minutes, I'll meet you at the spring."

"Yeah, but this time leave your glasses on until you can confirm that it's *me* in the spring, and not someone else." Kitsune was amused to see Naru blush in embarrassment. "Especially if you want to compare breast sizes again."

"Damn fox! Out, out!" Naru blushed even darker, but was laughing at the same time. Kitsune grinned at her best friend before turning and walking out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>AN – Another talking chapter. I guess they can't all be sword fights or lemons… at least if I want to have some character development. *g*_

_The good news is that I may be going on vacation next week, which will give me more time to work on the next lemon or two, plus the main story chapters._

_Coming up next will be Our Hero reuniting with his Lovely Ladies… will they be happy to see him when they find out he's been home for a while? What about the fact that he is now the manager for a girl's dormitory? And how about what happened in Thailand?_

_The winner of the most unusual place reading my story this week is… Bolivia, with the runner up being Romania._

_The winner for most prolific reviewer is Hektols, who did a short review for each of 28 chapters, all within a two day period. Runner up is LordsFire, with three reviews in a day or so._

_Thanks again to PCH and AZ MII for all their help in betaing this story._

_As of 06Feb12 0000 PST this story has had 147,398 hits, 313 Reviews, 27 C2 listings, 413 Favorite Story listings, and 381 Story Alerts. Thanks again, guys. *thumbs up*_


	30. Chapter 30

Ch 30

V 1.0

_Hinata Tea House  
>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture<br>Metro Tokyo, Japan  
>Early December<br>mid morning  
>(three months after story start) <em>

Haruka Urashima was not the most sympathetic person to have a conversation with. A lot of this had to do with her deadpan demeanor, which tended not to change no matter what emotion she was feeling at the time. The plus side to talking to her was that she was not afraid to say what she was thinking, which more times than not was to tell the recipient that they were acting like an idiot or worse. Keitaro pretty much knew he had screwed up, what he needed to hear now was how to fix his mistake, which was why the dorm manager had come down to the Tea House as soon as the morning rush was over to talk with his aunt.

Once she had seen the hangdog expression on her nephew's face, Haruka knew what he wanted. Hanging up her apron , she ordered Kitsune to scrub down the drink prep and cashier area again, told Yoko she was in charge, and then walked out the door of the shop, lighting a cigarette as soon as she was outside. Keitaro followed her silently as she walked partway up the stairs leading to the front of the Sou, stopping half-way there and sitting at a wood and stone bench that was set on a landing for people to get a breather when going up the steps. Keitaro sat down beside her, still quiet, looking off toward Hinata City below them.

"You want to tell me what's wrong, Kei-kun? Or did you massively screw something up?" Haruka finally said after they had sat there for a few minutes without anything being said.

"It's more like something I did wrong. Something I have to deal with now." Keitaro was still looking off at the city below them, and Metro Tokyo beyond, barely visible in the smog. "Remember before I left for Thailand how Kanako-chan was on a tear trying to find out who my firearms trainers were?"

"Yeah, she called me for Seta's phone number, she was trying to find out where you were. She finally got his office number from Todai information and stopped bugging me for it. I know that she wasn't happy when she finally spoke with him." Haruka pulled out another cigarette and lit it off the previous butt before tamping it out on the sole of her shoe and tossing it into a large tin can strategically placed under the bench. "I also know that she was kinda pissy when you took off from the New Year's party at your parent's house and your dad wouldn't tell her who you left with."

Keitaro nodded. "Tou-san is the only other person besides Seta-sensei who knows the details, and that's because Kana-chan won't get in his face about it. I managed to keep the details secret from her up to when I left, and as far as I know she still doesn't know. I would like to keep it that way, but it may not happen."

"What's wrong with your trainers? You're not having a torrid affair with one of them, are you?" Haruka grinned at Keitaro, only for her smile to falter when his expression did not change. "You're having an affair with a man? You're gay?" she asked incredulously.

Keitaro gave a start and quickly looked at his aunt. "What? NO! No, nothing like that! My trainers are females, Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa. They're police officers with Metro Tokyo Police, patrol partners at Botuko station. Natsumi-chan is an SAT officer, she trained me in firearms usage for my contract labor job for Todai."

"Natsumi-*chan*?" Haruka asked, an eyebrow raised.

"They insisted that I not use formal honorifics with them," Keitaro explained. "After we did the week of concentrated training, we would hang out together on the weekends. I knew that Kana-chan would take it badly if I told her who I was spending my time with. We got to be really good friends before I left for Thailand, and now it coming up on the time they are expecting me to have returned from overseas, and I don't know what to tell them."

"Wait a second, they don't know you're back? Why not, they should be glad you're home and OK." Now both of Haruka's eyebrows were raised.

"Because they are both cops and rather intelligent, I'm afraid of what they will think of me once I start telling them what happened in Thailand. I don't want to tell them everything." Keitaro was still looking away at the city.

"What's wrong with telling them? You told me and Kana-chan everything, and it wasn't so bad." Haruka was starting to frown at her nephew. She knew how torn up he had been that he had to kill people in order to rescue Sarah McDougal from her abductors, but she did now think he was this badly affected.

Keitaro glanced at his aunt out of the corner of his eye. "I didn't tell you two *everything*, Haruka-chan. There are some things that only the people involved know about, and I want to keep it that way. This is the kind of thing that changes how people look at you once they find out."

"How many people know about this?" Haruka watched as Keitaro looked back out at the city.

"Including me? Two people. My partner Gaz died in the fight getting out of Roanapur. Two other people died along the way. The last guy won't talk; if the wrong people find out he was involved, they can make his death incredibly unpleasant."

"So what is the problem? If your friends ask, you tell them you don't want to talk about it, and if they don't like it, too bad." Haruka took a puff off her smoke, which was burned back almost to the butt by now.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what Seta-sensei said," replied Keitaro.

"Wait, if you already talked to Seta-kun about this, why are you asking *me* for advice?" Haruka was looking at her cigarette pack, considering whether to light up another one, when Keitaro's response almost caused her fumble it.

"Because with him I can't really be sure that my relationship with Natsumi-chan and Miyuki-chan isn't affecting the advice he is giving me."

Haruko glanced sharply at her nephew. "Why would your relationship with them affect his advice to you? They're just friends, right?" She watched as he shook his head after a long moment. "You're dating one of them?" He cocked his head then shook it again. "So what's the freaking problem, Keitaro-kun?" She saw him take a deep breath and release it before he spoke.

"The thing is I'm dating both of them…" Keitaro was abruptly turned toward his aunt, her hand on his shoulder.

"You're dating two girls at the same time? You said they were partners, you're dating two friends behind their backs?" Haruka's face was starting to turn red.

Keitaro was wide-eyed until he realized what she was thinking. "No, it's not what you think!" He paused for a minute, trying to come up with a way to politely explain this, his aunt not very patiently waiting. "Remember how I said they were partners? It's not just a work thing. They live together and everything."

"That doesn't make things better, Keitaro." The older Urashima was still visibly angry.

Finally he decided to say it plainly. "Natsumi-chan and Miyuki-chan are lovers." Haruka's eyes went wide but still stayed angry. "The reason they are involved with each other is because they can't find men to date who aren't intimidated by what they do for a living or aren't cops themselves. When we spent all that time together, they were both attracted to me, so they decided to bring me into their relationship. A friends with benefits thing." The anger was draining from his aunt's face, but the shock remained. "According to Seta-sensei, their feelings may have grown to more than that when we left for Thailand. But we came back early, and with everything that happened over there, and my taking over the Hinata-sou, I never let them know I was back in Tokyo."

"And now they're expecting you to arrive, and are waiting to hear from you." Haruka let her hand slide off his shoulder. "I know this is a really dumb question, considering how twisted up you are about this, but how do you feel about them?"

"I like them. I really like them a lot. I know I've had problems getting along with girls before, but that's because I used to get clumsy and fall on them before, or they don't like that I was concentrating so much on my studies. But Nats-chan and Yuki-chan get me, you know? They don't act like giggly school girls, and they understand dedication. They have their own things they get involved in, and when we all get together, we can relax and have fun." Keitaro watched as Haruka eyeballed him for a moment and suddenly realized what she was thinking. "And it's not just sex. There were times we just hung out together."

"But the sex wasn't bad, was it?" Haruka was surprised to see Keitaro grin at that question.

"No, the sex was pretty damn good." After a long moment, the smile dropped from his face. "But now I need to tell them I'm back, I've been back for a while, and that some really bad things happened while I was away, some of which I'm not proud of. Not to mention the fact that I'm now the manager of a dorm filled with school aged girls."

The elder Urashima looked at her relative for a long moment. "Kei-kun, I'm going to ask a question that might piss you off." She waited for him to nod then continued. "You really do care what they think of you? It's not just the… physical stuff?"

Keitaro responded after waiting a few seconds. "I really do care what they think. I have to be honest, I do want to be with them physically, but I missed spending time with them too."

"Then my previous advice still applies. Tell them what happened, tell them what you are comfortable with, and hope to hell that it's enough." Haruka put her hand back on her nephew's shoulder, but as a sign of support this time and not of anger.

"Thanks, Haru-chan." She watched as he stood up and stretched, audible pops coming from his neck. "Let's get going, I have a phone call I need to make."

Haruka stood up after tossing the dead butt in her hand into the tin can under the bench. "So where are you going to meet up with them?"

"I think in this case we need to meet somewhere kinda private but neutral too. Can't invite them here, and I don't want to meet them at their apartment. I have a place in mind." Keitaro started to climb the stairs again, Haruka beside him.

"Why don't you want to go their apartment?" Haruka almost stumbled at Keitaro's response.

"Because there's a good chance they might rip my clothes off as soon as I'm in the door. If that happens the neighbors are probably going to complain again about all the noise coming from their apartment." Haruka shot Keitaro a look to see if he was joking, but given his expression, he probably was not.

"Braggart." Haruka was not prepared for his comeback.

"It ain't bragging if you can do it, Haru-chan." Keitaro glanced at his aunt with a sardonic look on his face before he turned back forward and continued up the stairs with him.

* * *

><p><em>Formal Meeting Room<br>Main Training Hall  
>Aoyama Family Compound<br>Kyoto, Japan  
>Early December<em>

Tsuruko Aoyama was the picture of the classic martial artist master, wearing traditional _gi_ and _hakama_, kneeling on a _tatami_ mat, her back straight, her eyes looking forward, looking otherwise calm and collected. However, it only took looking her hands in her lap to get an idea of what emotion she was truly feeling; her hands were clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white. By tradition, no one was armed with either _bokken_ or _katana_ in this meeting, and that was turning out to be a wise precaution.

"And you are sure that Urashima-san was able to use a _ki_ attack during the duel?" Three elders of the family, including her mother Michiru, were seated in front of Tsuruko, with some of the senior instructors sitting off to the side. Danzo, the elder now speaking, was the oldest of the family members present, her great uncle and the former head of the family school, having reluctantly retired after being afflicted with severe arthritis in the legs once he had entered his sixties. That had been almost twenty years ago, and even though he did not run the school anymore, he was never shy about asking questions and offering advice, much to the chagrin of the people involved. Burly with a rounded and lined face, his iron grey hair clipped to only a couple millimeters length, he saw his role as the conservator of the family traditions, which were to be preserved at all costs.

"Yes Elder. Keitaro-sama was standing three meters away from Motoko-chan and was empty handed. He pushed his hands toward her and yelled out _Hadouken_. A stream of blue _ki_ was fired from his hand and struck Motoko-chan and knocked her down and unconscious." It was galling to the young Aoyama master that the elders were more interested in the techniques used to defeat her younger sister rather than what had become of a member of the family. It was almost two weeks since Motoko had been banished from her family, and although Tsuruko had spent a week in Tokyo looking after business affairs after the duel, it had taken the elder council three days after arriving home to summon her to report on what had happened at the Hinata-sou.

"And there were no other _ki_ techniques used during the fight?" The speaker now was Naoko, an older female member of the family. Never one of the more skilled practitioners of the family arts, she was one of those people that managed to either make themselves indispensible or was a massive busybody. She had been her father's assistant when he had been a elder, and once he had passed away she had taken his place. Of a thin build with a pinched looking face, her graying hair pulled back into a tight bun, the middle aged woman look like a stiff wind would blow her away.

"Except what was probably _chi_ enhancement of his hands when he broke Motoko-chan's _bokken_, I saw no other techniques used." Tsuruko's voice was level and emotionless, which even with the controlled demeanors of the Aoyama family was a warning sign to anyone looking for it.

"And why do you think it was necessary for Urashima-san to use a _ki_ attack? You had previously said that he had held the upper hand from the being of the duel." Michiru was normally a calm and caring person, but having to banish one of her two children for dishonorable conduct had worn on her; sadness and sorrow were etched on her face, aging her countenance more in two weeks than the five decades of her life had, including the loss of her husband a year after the birth of her youngest child.

"That is correct. Once Motoko-chan was disqualified, both Kanako-san and I stepped into the ring. I had been holding a _bokken_ but I dropped it once I stepped forward so that I could steady my _katana_ in my belt. I am afraid that Kanako-san may have construed that as a hostile action, as she dropped her _bokken_ anddrew the sword she had in her belt." Here Tsuruko stopped speaking, as she did not to talk about what happened next, both to not expose what could be considered a Urashima family secret and because she feared how her family would react. Even though the Aoyama were trained as warrior priests to fight evil spirits and demons, it was something that almost all of family had no actual experience with, save Michiru and Tsuruko herself.

"And then what happened, Tsuruko-san?" Danzo could smell blood in the water.

"I felt a _ki_ spike come from Kanako-san's direction as she drew her sword… and then the feeling of _ki_ increased… massively. Both Kanako-san and the sword she was holding starting glowing." Tsuruko stopped speaking as everyone in the room started whispering and murmuring amongst themselves. What she said next did not help matters. "The _ki_ being released by the sword was distinctly demonic." This caused a major stir among the onlookers, while all three elders stiffened where they sat.

"What happened then, Tsuruko-chan?" Michiru's question was what finally caused everyone to quiet down.

"Keitaro-sama saw that Kanako-san was barely in control of the sword she had drawn, but he was still dodging Motoko-chan's attacks. He turned and did the _Hadouken_ attack, and once Motoko-chan was down, he helped his sister safely sheathe the sword."

"How did Urashima take control of the sword?" Danzo was leaning forward, a disquieting glint now in his eyes.

"Urashima-*sama*," Here Tsuruko paused to make sure that her great uncle's lack of a honorific had not gone unnoticed, "cut his hand with a knife and let the blood fall on the blade. The demonic _ki_ decreased, and the sword and his sister stopped glowing. He took hold of the sword and immediately sheathed it. The _ki_ decreased to where I could not detect it anymore. "

"Describe the sword, Tsuruko-san." Naoko's request was less a question than a demand.

"An _katana_, just short of a meter long, with a blue wrapped handle, a plain black _tsuba_ guard and a black and red sheath."

"Red and black?" Danzo's question interrupted her, if only for a moment.

"Yes. The sheath was lacquered in black, but there were cracks along all its length, where red wood showed." Tsuruko was not about to say that when she had first looked at the sheath she had thought that the cracks were dried blood. "The blade was darkened steel with white flecks throughout." Naoko flinched as though struck, and Danzo moved backwards slightly. Only Michiru did not visibly react.

"The _Juuchi Yosamu_. The Ten Thousand Cold Nights sword." Naoko looked to be dazed at the revelation.

"One of the most famous swords in Japanese history. A Muramasa." The gleam in Danzo's eyes had grown even brighter.

"We don't know that." All eyes fell back on Tsuruko, who was now staring at her great uncle. "When I asked Keitaro-sama if it was a Muramasa sword, he refused to answer me, and I withdrew my question." She was not about to admit that just the young man's glare had intimidated her. "And even if it is a… historical sword, what are we to do about it? It is the property of the Urashima family. What right do we have to interfere with the internal affairs of another family?" Here was where Michiru flinched.

"If it is the _Juuchi Yosamu_ it is a demon cursed blade! The proper authorities should be told!" Tsuruko could see the wheels turning in her great uncle's head, wondering how to turn this to the family's – and his own – advantage. However, his attention snapped back to his niece when he could feel the temperature in the room started to drop precipitously, a sign of someone on the ragged edge of losing their temper.

"If nothing! We do not know anything for certain, and even if it were true, think about it! How was it that the Urashima family gained their noble status?" Tsuruko growled.

Danzo shrugged his shoulders. "Some weak scribe fell on a sword defending the Shogun and…" Here he stopped speaking and everyone froze in place as there was a massive drop in temperature in the room. Danzo started sweating heavily, as Tsuruko had transfixed him with killing intent, her eyes starting to turn red, and loose strands of hair started floating around her as she slowly came to her feet.

"You dishonorable cur. You so easily mock the sacrifices of a noble samurai? Taro Urashima fought and killed *six* assassins by himself, while *unarmed*! Yes, he was run through by a sword, but that was while he was breaking the neck of the last assassin, a traitor among the Shogun's own body guard!" Tsuruko was walking slowly toward Danzo, who was trying to move away but could not due to his crippled legs. "Keitaro Urashima was able to take control of the sword without incident. Do you think anyone else could do better? Do you think you are that person?" The angry swordswoman halted in front of the elder, who had ceased his attempts to move away from her, but still looked intimidated. "What do you have to say for yourself, Elder Danzo?"

Danzo sputtered for a moment. "Such an artifact needs to be properly secured and guarded…"

"That *artifact* is the honor sword of the Urashima, a family that has honorably served both Shogun and Emperor for *centuries*! It is very probably the same sword that Taro Urashima gave his life to stop! What can you do that they can't?" Tsuruko almost forcibly relaxed her clenched fists, and looked down her great uncle. "I think it is time that you step down from the elder council."

"What! For what reason!" roared Danzo. It was much less intimidating when the person yelling was on the ground and could not get to his feet unassisted.

"For insulting an ally of this family, for inquiring into affairs of another family, for interfering with the former heir of this family." Tsuruko nodded as Danzo's eyes widened. "Yes, I know that you are the one that came up with the idea of sending Motoko-chan to Tokyo, and colluded with Naoko-san to have her expelled. If it wasn't for my interference, I would no longer have my sister. As it is, if I do not produce an heir, who is it that would be in line?" Silence fell upon the room, as everyone knew that the next person in line after Tsuruko would be Kojiro, a high school aged nephew of Danzo's who was more interested in drinking and carousing than studying and practicing with the sword.

In the silence that fell, the softly spoken words of Tsuruko were heard by all present. "So what will it be, Elder Danzo? Will you step down, or will we have to do this the old fashioned way?" The color drained from the elder's face at the last statement. 'The old fashioned way' was a duel with live blades with the winner taking the contested position in the elder council, the match being settled with surrender, unconsciousness, or death. There had not been such a challenge for almost a hundred and fifty years, since before the end of the feudal era. That duel had been a technical win for the challenger as he had lived, although with near crippling injuries. The challenged party had not survived the fight.

Tsuruko leaned down, her face now less than a meter from the elder. Her eyes had gone back to their normal brown color, but they were as cold as a graveyard wind. "What is your answer, Danzo?"

Thirty years ago, Danzo Aoyama would have broken this upstart in half with little effort. Fifteen years ago, he could have done with so with major effort and some pain. Now it was a struggle to walk without a cane, let alone maneuver in a fight. He still had his actual sword skills, but the younger woman would literally run rings around him, and there was no way that he could recover if he fell or was knocked over during that match. Unless he was prepared to meet his ancestors in short order, there was only one answer he could give.

"I will step down," the elder stated, the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Tsuruko straightened up and took a step back. A glance at Naoko showed her face was pale and her lips were so thinned out that she resembled _Kuchisake-onna_, the 'Slit Mouthed Woman' of urban legend. Looking over at Michiru, she saw the barest hint of approval.

Turning to face the others, seeing all their eyes were on her, Tsuruko spoke. "There have been things spoken of here today that are nothing more than idle speculation. Should these things be repeated, it would bring dishonor to this house. By the laws of our family, nothing talked about in this meeting is to be spoken of without permission. If I were to find out that anything spoken of here today is repeated, the person responsible will find themselves facing me in a duel of honor with live blades." Her eyes swept the audience, seeing that they all understood what the result of that would be. Turning back to the elders, she bowed and came up, and not waiting for an answering bow she murmured "A good day to you all," then walked out of the door, the room silent behind her.

* * *

><p><em>AN – I was able to go on vacation this past week, unfortunately I was too busy doing other things to concentrate on my writing the way I would have preferred. The good news is that I was able to buy a new recliner chair, where I can sit with my laptop to write this story. The bad news is that there is little progress so far on the next lemon, but I intend to work on that soon._

_Yes, I gave the two elders _names_ that should be familiar to anime fans, both characters I really don't like very much, whose personalities somewhat resemble the characters in this story. One should be very obvious to anime fans, the other one not so much. I have chocolate fudge cookies for those reviewers that can identify the characters and the series they come from.  
><em>

_There has been some grumblings as to the lack of screen time for the Aoyama, which explains the second part of this chapter. The next chapter should produce a glimpse of our favorite former swordswoman._

_This week's winner of the most unusual place reading my story is St. Kitts & Nevis, which would have been a more fun place to spend my vacation that at home. *g*_

_Many thanks to AZ MII and PCH for their betaing skills. _

_As of 22Feb12 0000 PST this story has had 160,644 hits, 329 Reviews,30 C2 listings, 436 Favorite Story listings, and 408 Story Alerts. Thanks again, guys. *thumbs up*_


	31. Chapter 31

Ch 31

_Hongo Campus  
>University of Tokyo<br>Early December  
>late morning<br>(three months after story start) _

Keitaro looked at the new smart phone in his hands, absently turning it over and back again as he considered what he needed to do next. He had already spent half the morning reading the instruction manual and programming the phone's applications, manually tapping in the numbers he wanted to store in the memory. Technology had certainly changed a lot since the last time he had owned a mobile phone. It had been only a little more than a year, but the new applications and features were almost enough to cause his head to spin.

The salesgirl at the phone store had been helpful, but she had been a little incredulous that he did not want the latest features. Apparently most current phones included a camera and a music media player, and the store did not carry any mobiles that did not include them. Internet access, email, and text messaging were also now a part of all smart phones as well. The strangest look he had gotten was when the salesgirl had offered to transfer his contact list from his old phone to his new one, and he had replied that he did not have an 'old' phone. It was only after he had explained that he had been out of the country for a year and he gave his old phone back to his family when he left that the girl understood why.

After leaving the mobile phone store in Hinata City that morning, Keitaro got on the train and started heading toward Todai, flipping through the manual to pass the time. Slowly and deliberately, he was able to program his email app and contacts into the mobile, the latter being copied from a mini-sized black address book that he kept in his wallet. After deleting the trio of spam that managed to sneak past his email filters, Keitaro flipped back to the main screen and brought up the phone number marked '_Miyuki K._' before looking up to see that he was approaching his train stop. Tucking his phone away in his coat pocket, Keitaro put the instruction manual back in the store bag and patiently waited for the train to stop to disembark.

Once he was off the platform and walking toward Todai, Keitaro looked down at himself in some dismay. Today was one of the rare days that he was wearing business attire, which was something he did not normally do. The tight white shirt collar and dark red tie and heavy dark blue suit was too restrictive and stifling for his taste, and the leather lace up dress shoes were uncomfortable to wear for any amount of time. He had grown used to wearing shorts and a t-shirt around the Sou, and slacks and an open collared dress shirt when more dressy attire was required. But wearing a suit and tie was not something he normally did, preferring even traditional attire like _haori_ and _hakama_ to the modern Western business suit. But today he did not have a choice, he had to go to the university administrative offices to renew his contractor ID card and turn in some paperwork for Seta-sensei, and the dress code there was definitely not casual.

Seeing that the sun's glare was getting much stronger in spite of the winter cold, Keitaro slipped on a set of clip on shades for his glasses, fitting neatly over the squared off lenses. Looking around , the young _ronin_ could see that he was getting quite a few glances from the various students and faculty as he walked onto the campus, most of them from the fairer sex for some reason. Keitaro did not quite understand why he would attract so much attention, unless it was just the novelty of seeing someone as young as he was dressed so formally.

After swinging by Seta's office and dropping off his bag and picking up the papers that his boss wanted him to fill out and submit to the admin people, Keitaro paused for a long moment outside the building before sighing and taking out his mobile. Keying it on and mentally reviewing what he had decided to say to the girls beforehand – something that he had spent most of a sleepless night thinking about – he finally hit the 'Send' button, the phone ringing in his ear before the call finally connected.

"_Moshi moshi, how can I help you?"_ Miyuki Kobayakawa's voice came through the ear piece, recognizable even without her identifying herself initially, a wise precaution for someone in her occupation.

"Hello Miyuki-chan, it's Keitaro Urashima…" The young man would have said more, but he was interrupted by a feminine squeal over the phone.

"_Keitaro-kun! You're back in Tokyo already?" _Miyuki was sounding much more lively and excited than from when she had initially answered the phone.

"Yes I am, I only just saw your email the other day, and today is the first chance I had some time to call you. I just barely got a replacement mobile phone, you see." Keitaro was rubbing the back of his head, his excuse weak even by his standards.

"_And you didn't think to call us from a public telephone?"_ Even with the scolding tone in her voice, Keitaro could hear how happy Miyuki was to speak with him.

"Well, I wasn't sure you were all that eager to hear back from me after I was gone for such a long time." Keitaro would have continued, but he heard some other muffled sounds come through the line consistent with someone either dropping and picking up the phone or someone taking the phone from the speaker by force. Once he heard the voice on the phone again, he realized it had been the latter.

"_Taro-kun! You're back, how are you, where are you!" _The exuberant voice could only come from one person, Natsumi Tsujimoto, Miyuki's partner in more ways than one.

"Hi Natsu-chan. I'm fine, and right now I'm at Todai doing some paperwork. Did you have to snatch the phone from Miyuki-chan?" Keitaro could almost hear the pout in the short haired girl's voice as she replied.

"_I'm just really happy to hear that you're back, Taro-kun."_ There was some more muffled sounds before Miyuki's voice came back on the line.

"_We are both on the phone now Keitaro-kun, we are splitting a pair of earphones."_ Keitaro had to smile at the mental image of the two girls face to face, their foreheads together as they each listened through an earbud.

"Are you two at work now?" Because they were patrol officers, the two girls had some unusual work schedules, with days off sometimes in the middle of the week.

"_Nope! We were doing some shopping for groceries. We were about to head for home when you called."_ Natsumi replied. _"How much longer are you going to be at Todai? We __**really **__want to see you again"_ Her voice had dropped down into a suggestive purr.

Keitaro looked at his Luminox watch. "It's 10:30 now, I should be done by one o'clock at the latest. There is some paperwork I have to submit to administration for Seta-sensei."

"_We're close to our apartment. By the time we drop off our groceries and make our way through traffic, it will be close to 1 pm. Could you meet with us today?" _Miyuki's voice was calmer than her partner's, but he could still hear the eagerness in it.

"Sure, if you want we can meet here on the campus. Have either of you been to the gardens at Hongo campus?" Keitaro asked.

"_A long time ago, when I was younger. It should not be a problem."_ Miyuki's voice replied.

Natsumi picked up where her dark haired partner left off. _"Yeah, and we can get there faster if I drive!"_

Keitaro gave a slight shudder, having ridden in a car piloted by the outgoing girl before, it was not something to easily forget, even when you would much prefer to. "Let Miyuki-chan drive, Natsu-chan. I don't think the drivers and citizens of Tokyo need the scare that you would give them.

Natsumi giggled. _"I'm not that bad, Taro-kun." _

"Yeah, but there is no big rush to getting here. We're just going to talk there for a bit." Keitaro felt a shiver run down his spine at the next words, especially who they came from.

"_You seem to think that we are interested in talking. We may do that for a while, but there are other things that we have been looking forward to doing."_ If he had not heard Miyuki's distinctive voice being so suggestive, Keitaro would have never believed it. As it was, his face flushed just from the tone of her voice.

"If it's OK with you, we can meet at the bridge at Sanshiro Pond at the Hongo campus at one o'clock. If you don't see me, call me back at this number, it's my new mobile."

"_No problem, Kei-kun. We look forward to seeing you again."_ It was now Natsumi who was speaking. _"Bai bai for now."_ The call disconnected at the suggestive farewell.

Keitaro looked the phone to make sure the call was over, then pocketed the device and started walking toward the main admin office building. He needed to make sure everything he had to do today was completed by the time lunchtime was over, as he had a couple of very lovely ladies he was both nervous and eager to see.

* * *

><p><em>Sanshiro Pond<br>Hongo Campus  
>University of Tokyo<br>Early December  
>early afternoon<em>

Natsumi and Miyuki were walking at a quick pace, just a notch below an actual jog, as they looked around for Keitaro. They had not needed directions on how to find the pond, as it was visible through the main gate of the campus. The only thing that slowed them down even slightly was when the security officers at the gate had asked for either staff or student ID, but the two young women showing their police IDs was apparently sufficient.

The hard part had been finding parking for Miyuki's Toyota convertible. They finally wound up having to leave the car at a staff parking lot with the police placard on the dash, something that the dark haired girl would have previously protested even suggesting, but now done without any prompting, resulting in a raised eyebrow from her compatriot. Of course, the fact that the kinder, gentler policewoman had been driving through Tokyo traffic like they were in their patrol car with the lights and siren going had occupied much of her partner's attention.

"Where is he, where is he, where is he…" Natsumi was muttering to herself as she looked around. There were various people around the beautiful garden and lake, but no one looked like their long lost paramour.

"Keitaro-kun said that he would wait for us at the bridge, perhaps we should start there." Miyuki sounded calmer than her partner, but she was looking around just as intently as her partner.

"But the only guy there isn't Taro-kun," Natsumi almost whined. Her friend did not hear her, as she was focused on someone else.

The darker haired policewoman was looking closely at the lone male standing on the bridge. The guy was wearing a suit and sunglasses with a fairly short haircut, resembling most of the various plainclothes police officials and protective agents she had come across in her job. He was leaning back against the railing, facing out toward the larger part of the pond and while Miyuki could not see his face clearly from where she was standing, the man's posture was such that he was either rather tired and was simply resting there, or that he was lost in thought, and his distant gaze and relaxed shoulders were simply signs of that.

Slowing down to a walk, Miyuki, stepped onto the wooden bridge and approached the distracted man, Natsumi following behind her in some confusion. It was not until the man shifted slightly that she was able to see his face, and even with the squared off shades, the man's identity became obvious.

"Kei-kun?" Miyuki started to move faster, the sound of her voice causing the guy to turn toward her. "Kei-kun!" With three long steps she slammed into him, her arms wrapping around him as she buried her head in Keitaro Urashima's chest.

"Miyuki-chan?" Keitaro would have said more, but the ebony haired girl reached up and yanked his head downwards, her lips crushing into his in a heated kiss. Stunned by the fiery greeting, he simply stood there for a long moment as she enthusiastically kissed him, her mouth open and tasting his. He was finally able to pull away slightly and was about to speak, but then Natsumi put her own two cents in, turning his head toward her and immediately starting her own search of his mouth with her tongue. After getting over the second stunner in the last couple of minutes, Keitaro was finally able to break free, gasping for breath as the two girls cuddled up with him.

"Miyuki-chan? Natsumi-chan? What the hell?" Keitaro had known that the two girls would be happy to see him, but they were acting like he had just come back from a major war. "We're in public!" Public displays of affection between couples were no longer taboo in Japan, but they were still frowned upon, especially when it attracted a lot of attention. Two hot girls kissing one guy certainly qualified.

"Don't care. We missed you so much, Taro-kun." It was now Natsumi's turn to bury her head in his chest. Her hand ghosted up his chest and started undoing the buttons of his now open collared dress shirt from the top downwards. Her hand slipped inside the shirt and she purred at her discovery. "No undershirt? How naughty." She nuzzled up against his throat, but pouted when his hand came up and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from undoing any more buttons once she had reached the middle of his chest.

"Natsumi! We're in public!" Keitaro repeated, a little shocked. The brown haired girl could be enthusiastically passionate, but he was starting to think she was getting ready to thrown him down on the bridge and have her way with him right now.

"You don't understand, we really, *really* missed you, Kei-kun. It hasn't been the same since you left us." Miyuki was snuggled up to Keitaro besides Natsumi, the two girls pressed up in front of him.

"Yeah, even when I was helping Yuki-chan relieve some tension, she kept screaming out your name. I was starting to get jealous." Natsumi had taken her hand out of Keitaro's shirt and was now running it up and down his back under his coat, causing him to slightly shiver.

The dark haired girl flushed tomato red at her partner's revelation. "Natsumi-chan! You're the one that bought that… thing in the harness and kept telling me to imagine it was Keitaro-kun!"

By now Keitaro's head was starting to spin. Taking a step back, he put his hands up so the girls didn't grab him again. "Ladies! Stop with the sex talk for a minute! We need to talk, seriously." The girls pouted but stayed in place. "I know you two are happy to see me, but I didn't think you missed me that much."

"We did, Kei-kun. It wasn't until you left that we realized how much we enjoyed being with you. It wasn't just the sex." Here it looked like Natsumi was going to interject with some comment but Miyuki just nudged her with her shoulder in a sign to keep quiet."We had each other to keep ourselves company, but all those weeks without you really got to us. That is why we are so happy to see you again ." Natsumi nodded her agreement.

Taking off his glasses, Keitaro tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose. Detaching the shades from the frame, he slipped the spectacles back on his face and looked from one eager girl to the other."Well, up until I got that email from you guys, I wasn't sure you even wanted to get back with me. After all, I am a _ronin_, and you two are attractive women, you shouldn't have trouble finding decent guys."

"We're policewomen, we're gearheads, and we're Christmas cakes, Taro-kun. You know how old we are?" Natsumi gestured toward her partner. "Miuyki-chan is 29 years old, and I'm 28. The only men that want to date us are other police officers, and I hate to say it, but they act like assholes a lot. The one guy I was interested in is now running an expedition service for mountain climbers in the Himalayas, and the guy Miyuki was into is too busy polishing the chrome on his bike. We actually had more dates in one year from American guys when we were on exchange with LAPD than in all our time at Bokuto. *You* are the decent guy we found, and we want to see how much further we can go with that."

Keitaro looked them both, seeing the sincerity on both their expressions. "You're saying this now, but things have changed since the last time we were together. You may decide you don't want to continue with me after you hear about it." He had trouble believing that two hot, sweet, smart girls like Natsumi and Miyuki would trouble romantically.

"Let us be the judge of that, Kei-kun. What is different now?" Miyuki was starting to look concerned.

Glancing around, Keitaro could see that there were only a couple of other people in the pond area, and no one was anywhere near close enough to be able to overhear them. "Well, two major things have happened. One is that my Granny Hina made me the manager of our family hot springs resort inn." Keitaro noticed both girls reacted slightly at his grandmother's name, but he did not know why. "It's a house and property on the other side of Yokohama. The problem was when she told me to met her there, she forgot to tell me that she had converted the inn to a girls dorm. She wasn't there to meet me, she just left me a letter saying that I was now the manager of the Hinata-sou and the heir to our family clan now."

"Girls dorm? How many girls are there?" Natsumi was frowning slightly.

"Five at first, ranging from age 20 to 14. For the most part, they're decent kids, but we had to ask one of them to leave for using violence in an improper manner."

"We? What do you mean we? Is your granny there?" Natsumi asked.

"No… Granny knew that I wouldn't be happy to take on the responsibility of running the house, so she just left the letter and took off. My Aunt Haruka runs a tea house at the bottom of the hill, and she helps when she can, but I had to ask my sister Kanako to move into the Sou and become the assistant manager."

"Your sister is only sixteen, correct?" The look on Miyuki's face was starting to match her partner's.

"Yeah, but for her it's only a part-time job. I need a female to stay in the Sou to keep things above board, and Aunt Haruka has to concentrate on running her tea house. Between the tenants, Kanako-chan and myself, we split up the chores of the Sou so that it isn't a major problem. That way we all have time to study and relax if we want to," Keitaro explained.

"So what is the problem with this? You being the manager of a girl's dorm isn't that bad, especially since you've brought in your sister to help you," asked Natsumi.

"Well… I've been running it for the last three months…" Keitaro was interrupted by Natsumi grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him toward her so they were literally face to face.

"Three months? You've been in Tokyo for three months? Your Granny brought you home from Thailand to run a girl's dorm? And you didn't call us?" Given that Natsumi's voice had been dropping in pitch with each sentence, it was almost a growl by the time she finished speaking.

"No, I came home early because things went to hell in Thailand. Seta-sensei, his daughter Sarah and I just barely got to Osaka when I got the word from Granny to get to the Hinata-sou as soon as possible. I got there the day after but she was already gone. I had to take over that day, and I've been busy running and fixing the place up since then." Keitaro was able to keep his composure even though he was being held on his tiptoes by Natsumi's fist on his shirt, but just barely.

"Went to hell? Keitaro-kun, what happened in Thailand?" Miyuki was openly frowning, which on the face of the normally placid woman was almost as disconcerting as the snarling look currently on Natsumi's face.

"The expedition site got raided by pirates. The site was pillaged, Seta-sensei was badly wounded, some of the workers and one of the other guards got killed, and Sarah was taken by the pirates." The fist on Keitaro's shirt loosened enough for him to drop flat on his feet again.

"Seta-kun was injured? How badly? And Sarah was taken?" The questions came from Natsumi now.

"Shot in the leg and chest, just barely missed the femoral artery. One of the others was able to patch him up enough that we were able to get him to get medical aid. And yeah, Sarah was taken by the pirates. Apparently a fourteen year old blonde haired blue eyed girl is worth a lot of money in certain circles." Keitaro's voice was flat by the time he finished speaking.

"How'd you get her back? The police?" Natsumi finally let go of Keitaro's shirt.

Keitaro snorted. "The police in Thailand aren't worth the money spent on their uniforms. Especially once we found out where the group that Sarah was sold to for resale was based."

"Where were they based, Kei-kun?" Miyuki stepped up closer to Keitaro, the frown on her face now replaced by concern.

"Roanapur." Both of the girls' faces turned pale as they heard his answer. The criminal haven's reputation was such that even in Japan they heard stories about it.

"And how did you get her back?" asked Natsumi.

"My partner and I snuck into Roanapur, questioned some people and found out where she was, grabbed her back, and tried to sneak out of town. That didn't work out so well. Sarah and I managed to get away." Keitaro's voice was completely emotionless. Both of the girls inwardly winced. They both noticed that he had not mentioned that his partner had gotten away.

Keitaro continued speaking. "We got picked up by the Royal Thai Navy and taken to Bangkok. Because of the uproar we created, Sarah, Seta and I were put in protective custody. We got evacuated from Thailand on an American military cargo plane to get us out before the criminals could locate us and try and take revenge."

"Revenge? Just what did you do, Taro-kun?" Natsumi was still close to Keitaro's face, only now she was wide-eyed.

"Shot up a slaver auction, blew up a building, shot any bad guy that tried to stop us from getting away," Keitaro momentarily flashed back to the female criminal on the other side of the heavy machine gun he was using that he didn't kill, for the very reason that she and the others she was with did not point weapons at him. "Hijacked a boat, shot at the people chasing us. Oh, I think I killed the guy that was running the whole thing too. That probably pissed them off a lot."

"And what does this have to do with you not contacting us?" Miyuki asked, apprehension on her face.

"You're policewomen, you have your own lives. I didn't think you would want to get involved with a guy like me." Keitaro turned his head so he was not looking at them and instead was looking across the pond.

"A guy like you?" Natsumi asked now, all anger gone from her face.

"A killer. I lost track of how many people I killed rescuing Sarah. Even now, I've only told my aunt and my sister what happened." _And even then not everything,_ Keitaro thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by a hand taking hold of his jaw and turning his face back toward them. It was Natsumi, who was visibly angry again, while Miyuki had what looked to be the start of tears in her eyes.

"You stupid, stupid man…" Natsumi pulled his head forward and kissed him hard. After a few moments she released him and turned his head so he was facing Miyuki, who was whispering, "Silly, silly man" before kissing him as well.

"We are the ones to decide if we want to be with you. You don't get to make that decision for us, especially without telling us anything. Gods, we've missed you so much Taro-kun, that isn't a lie." Natsumi was now nuzzling up to his neck as Miyuki kissed him. "Besides, there's something we need to tell you as well."

"What was that, Natsu-chan?" Keitaro was getting distracted by Miyuki's kisses, but it was though a record player needle had screeched across an LP when Natsumi replied.

"Your Granny came to talk to us when you left for Thailand. She made us an offer." Slowly, Keitaro pulled away from Miyuki and turned toward the brown haired girl, an incredulous look on his face. "She wants to have great-grandbabies, so she offered to give the Urashima name to and financially support any children both Miyuki and I have with you."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since the last update. As you all can imagine, Real Life came up and bit me hard in the butt. First, I took ill with an infection two weeks ago, and that week was spent going from one doctor's office to another, which did not put me in the proper mood to write. Then my mobile phone broke on me, I had to go to the store to see if it could be replaced. It was less expensive to sell the phone back to the phone store and get a brand new mobile than it was to repair or replace it. Ironically, I did the same as Keitaro did in this chapter, sit around and program a new phone and get used to the new features.<em>

_You would think that having a new recliner chair would be more conductive to writing, but it turns out the opposite is true. The chair is a little too comfortable, and me being tired all the time makes me too sleepy to write. That and having the DSL hooked up when I write is not a good idea, I start to get distracted by the internet. I found out I write better with the DSL unplugged and after an energy drink or two._

_As you have seen, Keitaro had reunited with his Lovely Ladies, and they have dropped Granny Hina's little offer on him like one of Su's dropkicks. It is something he really has to think about, but I think the three will be able to reach an agreeable and pleasurable accord. *grin*_

_Winners of the chocolate fudge cookies for guessing the source of the names for the Aoyama elders and the anime series they originally come from (Danzo – Naruto, Naoko – Evangelion) are as follows; two cookies for getting both right: Toa Naruto, Patcheresu, and PersplexChameleon. One cookie to each person that got at least one right: Orchamus, Ruckyree Dun Goof'd, Hektols, and SentiNel090. The Sinful gets *three* cookies for guessing the source of Tsuruko's mom's name as well (Michiru – Sailor Moon)._

_Winner of the most currently unusual place reading my story is Kuwait. The runner up is Thailand, which may be ticked off at me once I finish with the Roanapur arc. *smile* Special mention goes to the guy/gal that is reading this story by downloading it by satellite provider. Hope the story is worth the amount of money you are spending for your bandwidth. *grin*_

_My thanks go out to AZ MII and PCH for their excellent help in beta-ing this chapter._

_As of 19Mar 2012 0520PDT, this story had 172,996 hits (for some reason, the hits counter on the stats pages isn't working - grrr), 346 Reviews, 35 C2 Listings, 471 Favorite Listings, and 434 Story Alerts. Thanks again for reading, guys.*thumbs up*_


	32. Chapter 32

Ch 32

V 1.0

_start flashback_

_Tsujimoto/Kobayakawa Residence  
>Koto City, Tokyo, Japan<br>Early January  
>(eight months to story start)<em>

_Seeing that there was only an short elderly lady standing in the hallway, Miyuki unlatched the lock and with the combo gun behind her leg opened the door. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"_

"_You can if you are Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto." As the two women stared at her, the older woman smiled. "My name is Hina Urashima, Keitaro's grandmother, and I think it would be a good idea to talk. I have a proposition for you I think you both will like."_

After blinking for a few moments, Miyuki's senses returned to her. "Please come in, Urashima-san," she said politely as she gave a medium bow. "Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

The older woman stepped into the apartment and casually slipped her shoes off, kicking them to the side so they fell beside the other shoes lined up beside the door. As Miyuki close the door behind her (and slipped her combo gun back into her purse) Hina took a quick look around the apartment. Her dark eyes did not miss much, as they went over the crowded bookshelves, the dining room table bare of anything except for a bottle of sake and a cup, and the brown haired young lady standing on the other side of the living room, looking like she was barely restraining herself from fidgeting.

"If you don't mind, I would like some hot sake. I need to chase the chill from these old bones." Hina stated as she walked over to the table and sat down opposite the bottle and cup.

"Of course. It will only take a couple of minutes." Natsumi had left a bottle of sake in a pot of water earlier, so it only took a little while for Miyuki to heat it and serve to their guest. Once that was done, she walked around the table and sat down next to her partner. "How can we help you Urashima-san?"

"Well, first off, you can call me Granny Hina. I have enough people in my life calling me 'Urashima-san'." Hina raised the ceramic cup full of hot sake and took a deep drink. "Ah, that's good."

"If you insist, Granny Hina." Miyuki probably would have continued using 'Urashima-san', but an instinct inside of her told her to go along with it. "You said that you have a proposition for us?

"Yes, but first, I have a couple of questions for you." Hina smiled at the two girls, but it was not a nice smile; it was more along the lines of 'I know something you don't'. "What is your relationship with my grandson Keitaro? You have barely known him for a month, correct?"

"Yes, we met when a friend of ours, Noriyasu Seta, asked if we would train Keitaro-kun in firearms usage and tactics for his new contract labor job. Natsumi-san and myself are police officers, and Natsumi-san has trained with the Special Unit." The Special Attack Team name had been retired by the police department as being too aggressive. "After spending time with him, we became good friends."

"Very good friends, if you are inviting him to stay overnight with you." Hina looked from Miyuki, who was starting to blush, to Natsumi, who had kept quiet and was starting to become pale.

"Yes… very good friends, I guess you could say." Miyuki did not know where their visitor was going with this, since she did not look upset about it.

"Good enough that the female residents were complaining about it. The males probably were recording certain nights." Now both girls were turning pale, at both the images that came to mind and the fact that their guest was bring this up.

"If I can ask, why are you here, Urashima-san? It doesn't sound like you're upset with us being with Taro-kun." Natsumi finally spoke up. "And how is it that you know about us and him?"

Granny Hina smiled thinly. "Well, I wanted to meet the women my dear grandson lost his virginity to." By now the two girls were almost ashen; while Keitaro had told them he had not dated in school, they did not think that he was a virgin, and given how skilled he was in his time with them, they had some justification for thinking that. "And as to how I know, the apartment manager forwarded the complaints to me and I did some poking around."

"Why would the manager forward the complaints to you?" Miyuki had the feeling she would not like the answer, and she was right.

"Oh, I'm the owner of the building." Hina's smile grew to show teeth, before she took another deep drink from her sake cup. She refilled the cup, pointedly not noticing that Miyuki was swaying where she was sitting, and the two girls were now holding hands out in the open rather than just under the table as before.

Looking back up, Hina gave a slight frown. "Oh, buck up, I'm not here to cause you two problems. I'm like my granddaughter Kanako; when I want to mess with someone, they never see me coming." Hina sipped at the sake, watching as Natsumi and Miyuki pulled themselves together. "Now, what are your intentions with my grandson?"

The two police women looked at each other, silently communicating through slight blinks, eyebrow twitches, shrugs, and nods. After a long moment, they came to an agreement and they turned to face the patiently waiting elder.

"We both care very deeply for Keitaro-kun, and we would not mind having a more… committed relationship with him," Miyuki explained. "However, since he left for a year long trip, we all agreed to not get too deeply involved, and to get back in touch with each other once he returned, to see if we want to continue our relationship. That is all we can do at this point, in any case."

"Don't you think you are both a little selfish, two older women involved with a younger man? One with little worldly experience?" Hina was swirling the sake in her cup but she was focused on the darker haired woman across from her.

"I think of it more along the lines of both Natsumi-chan and I being lucky enough to meet such a wonderful man like Keitaro-kun. That is the reason we were both with him, since the chances of finding another man like him are very small." Miyuki was looking directly at Hina, not flinching at her gaze.

"Which also explains why the two of you were involved with each other before you met him." Hina remarked lightly, seeing blushes on their faces again. "But the question now is what you intend to do now that he left." The elder watched as the two girls frowned in puzzlement. "For one thing, I do know that neither of you are on birth control and you aren't using condoms."

The two girls almost immediately went pale. "How do you know that?" Natsumi managed to choke out.

"You would be surprised what you can learn from someone's trash, especially when there are people going through it for recyclables." Hina drank from her cup again before looking at them levelly. "So, were you trying to get pregnant or were you just overwhelmed by how manly my grandson is?"

The two girls looked at each other for a moment. "It's more the second than the first." Miyuki was barely able to speak steadily. "We would not be adverse to the first happening in the future."

Hina nodded knowingly. "And I would not be opposed to that in theory, especially since Keitaro-kun is the only male of his generation left in our family. That is why I came to make you both a proposition. I take it neither of you are pregnant right now?" Natsumi and Miyuki were barely able to keep from recoiling in shock at the question, but they both shook their heads in a negative answer. "Pity. That would have made what I am offering much easier."

"Which is?" Miyuki asked apprehensively.

"Why, producing the next generation of Urashima. I don't know if Keitaro-kun told you, but he has had problems finding a girlfriend, due to his studies. I would really much prefer for him to find a nice young girl and get married, but due to certain obligations and promises he has made, that is not likely to happen anytime soon, especially since he is on this contract labor job. So I wanted to give you both the chance to accomplish both of our goals; I want for our family to expand, and you are looking for someone to give you the children you are both desiring."

Hina looked from one girl to the other, and while Natsumi looked apprehensive, Miyuki looked intrigued. "I did a deep background check on both of you when I found out you were involved with Keitaro-kun, and both of you came back as acceptable candidates for marriage. While I cannot promise you that Keitaro will wed either of you, due to his promise girl," here Hina paused for a moment, and both girls nodded, indicating that they knew the major reason for Keitaro's commitment to entering the University of Tokyo, "I can assure you that if either of you bear my grandson's children, either as his wives or his unmarried concubines, I will arrange for the Urashima name to be given to them, and for full support to be paid for their upbringing. All I ask is that my family have partial custody, so that the children can be brought up in the traditions of our family."

"How partial would the custody be?" Miyuki asked suspiciously. This was sounding a little too good to be true.

"If you chose to live separate from our family, something along the lines of the children being with our family on weekends and perhaps a month or two during the summer. If you chose to live with the family or are married to Keitaro-kun, you would essentially be in charge of their day to day upbringing." Hina watched as the girls looked at each other again before looking back at her. They stayed silent, but the elder Urashima could see the question on their faces they did not want to ask. "As to their support, if you were to live separate from the family, the support would come out to about one and a half times what you are making as police officers. This would be along with your living quarters being paid for."

"I hate to say this, but what is the catch, Urashima-san?" Natsumi could have put it a little better, but both Miyuki and herself were thinking essentially the same thing.

"Well, besides have to cut back on the drinking in your case Natsumi-san , and probably having to give up your jobs as patrol officers and take something a little more family friendly if you still want to work, I guess the worse part of this deal is having to deal with me." Hina smiled thinly again. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't mess with people's lives for the fun of it. There generally is a reason why I do what I do. And it is very much possible to change my mind if you can present your reasons. Granted, it doesn't happen very often."

"Does Keitaro-kun know about this offer you are making?" Natsumi suddenly asked out of left field.

"No, he doesn't. He has enough to deal with in his new job, and this really would not take effect until he returned anyway." Hina drank from her cup, draining it. "Gods willing, once he returns we can present this to him."

Pushing herself back from the table, Hina rose to her feet, the two girls automatically doing the same. "Well, I've said all I've had to say for now." Reaching into her purse, Hina pulled out a business card and scribbled a phone number on the back. "For now, I'll leave you to think about this. If you have any questions, you can call me at this number. I can see myself out. " Moving toward the door, the elder Urashima turned toward the two young women and gave a medium bow, which they automatically returned. "I hope things work out well in the future, for all of us." Giving a short head bow, Hina slipped through the door and closed it behind her.

The two girls stared at the door for a long moment before they both sat back down at the table, although it was more along the lines of a near collapse. Miyuki picked up the now cold cup of sake in front of her partner and quickly downed it, with Natsumi grabbing the sake bottle and drinking directly from it. The two sat in silence for a long moment.

"Would you do it?" Natsumi asked, glancing at the bottle to see how much was left inside before looking back at her lover.

"Yes. Yes I would. I know I haven't told you, but I do want a child, so very much. And Keitaro-kun would be the perfect father." Miyuki watched as Natsumi refilled her cup before drinking from the bottle again.

"So were you trying to get pregnant?" the brown haired girl asked.

Miyuki shook her head. "Not deliberately, no. But that is what made it feel so good when Keitaro-kun would finish inside of me, the idea that he could be putting a child in me." A tear started to stream down her cheek. "Gods, I want him back as soon as possible."

"I know, Yuki-chan. I know." The two girls sat with their heads against each other, mourning their absent lover, and praying for him to safely return to them as soon as he could.

_end flashback_

* * *

><p><em>Metro Tokyo Railways<br>en route to Hinata City  
>Early December<br>late afternoon  
>(three months after story start) <em>

_Goddamn it. God__**damn**__ it. Goddamnit goddamnit goddamnit._ Keitaro was standing with an arm hooked around a vertical handhold rail support, his eyes looking out at the passing landscape but not focused on anything in particular as he thought to himself.

Keitaro was not an angry person. Anyone who spent any amount of time around him realized this in fairly short order. But while the young _ronin_ was normally in a good or at worse serious mood, there were times that his blood began to boil. Ironically enough, it was not usually when someone was causing him problems or distress, but when someone else was being hurt, all bets were off.

He had not gotten angry when Kanako was taken by that _bosozoku_ gang; things had happened too fast for Keitaro to get more than scared for his sister. But when Sarah had been taken by those Thai pirates and he did not know if Seta was going to survive his wounds, it was as though something ugly awoke in his chest, something that he wanted no one else to see.

_Goddamnit goddamnit goddamnit._

Duty, Honor, Family. Those were three words that Keitaro did his best to live by. People would consider Keitaro's dedication to maintaining his honor, and by extension keeping his promises to be admirable. However, when they were told that the main reason he was studying to enter Todai was because of a promise made when he was five years old to a girl the same age whose neither face nor name he could remember so that they could reunite and live happily ever after, people tended to look at him a little weird. That was nothing compared to the reactions he had gotten from Gaz and Yuri when they had heard about the promise. Even though the other two security contractors had been among some of the most admirable men he had ever met, they had trouble wrapping their minds around the idea that a promise made before he had even entered school could affect his life so.

Keitaro was proud of the values that he guided his life. Those values and the support he had received from his family were what made him the man he was today. And when there were circumstances that affected his life due to obligations, he could pass it off as duty; he did not have to be happy about it, such as when Granny Hina made him the manager of the Hinata-sou, he just had do what was required. He could understand the necessity for what she did. But what he had just found out was enough to make his temper to rise.

_Goddamnit, Granny._

He had never had anything resembling a romantic relationship when he was younger. Most of his time was spent either in his studies, learning and practicing martial arts, or passing time with his family. This was not to say that he was not attracted to the fairer sex; Keitaro was as much an admirer of the female form as the next adolescent male. It was his lack of experience in talking with girls his age, and an unfortunate tendency to be clumsy and either spill stuff or fall on them that made his few attempts at dating fail so epically. It was not something he had been overly worried about, since he figured that when the time came, either he would reunite with his promise girl or he would find someone else to get involved with.

Natsumi and Miyuki were the first girls that he had ever gotten intimate with, Kyoko stealing his first kiss notwithstanding. Physical pleasures aside, the thing that had made him the most proud had been that they had decided they wanted to be with him… _**two girls**_ were willing to share him! It sounded like something out of some _ecchi doujin_, and not something that would happen in real life.

Keitaro had been more than a little hesitant to get involved with the girls again due to that disbelief once he came back from Thailand and took over as manager of the Hinata-sou. Surely they could find someone better than him, a failed _ronin_ with blood on his hands.

But just when he could feel the heat of their embraces, could taste the passion in their kisses, they dropped the bomb on him that instantly cooled all the passion that had been boiling in his blood. Granny's goddamned offer.

He knew that Natsumi and Miyuki were not after him because of the offer. Or at least, he was reasonably sure that they were not after him for money. While the Urashima family was known for being a noble samurai family, and for having partial interests in various businesses and properties, they were not _zaibatsu_ level rich. What did concern him was if they were after him so they could have children. They were both in their late twenties, and even though the prejudice against older females was not as it was before, becoming a Christmas cake girl, someone that was older than twenty five yet not married yet, was still something they had to contend with. Natsumi was not someone he could see as desperate to have children, given her tomboyish personality, but Miyuki… Keitaro had seen a glimpse of sadness in her eyes when the subject had come up on the bridge. She was someone that he could definitely see wanting to have a child, but as much as Keitaro wanted to make the dark haired girl happy, he did not think he was anywhere near ready to become a father. Never mind the fact that he was running the Sou and studying to enter Todai, he wanted to be a part of his children's lives; just giving a child his family name and money for support was nowhere near what he wanted.

Family… Gods in heaven, how was Kanako going to take this? She was not a blood relation, but her attraction was more than a little worrying to him, especially since their sibling relationship was the only thing that he could use to stave off any form of romance with her. But Kanako was not letting any little thing like being his adopted sister get in the way of her feelings. Given the causal way that Japanese people looked upon physical relationships between family members that were against the law in many other countries, it was a surprise that he was able to hold off as long as he had. Kanako was a very attractive girl to be sure with her slender but curvy body, even with the suppression of most of her emotions. But Keitaro would not help but think back of the little five year girl he had first met, all long black hair and tears streaming down her face, whimpering in the thoes of nightmares when she first came to the Urashima house. It was only when his nine year old self had taken her into his arms in a hug and promised to always protect her that she would calm down.

But now things had gotten both better and worse with Kanako. Better in that she had more of a life, with many different interests to occupy her. Worse, as in she was even more attracted to him and not shy in showing it to him. The only saving grace was that it only happened when the two were alone, or Haruka was there at most. But having his romantically obsessive little sister hear that Granny gave the OK for him to have children with two other women? Keitaro was reasonably sure that Kanako would not kill him in his sleep, but he was not sure the same could be said about Natsumi and Miyuki. The brown haired girl was strong enough and had enough martial arts training to defend herself in case the younger Urashima attacked her, but Miyuki did not. If the dark haired police woman had enough warning so that she could draw her custom pepper spray/taser combo gun she had a chance, but Kanako was nothing if not stealthy, as Motoko learned to her dismay.

Motoko. That was someone he had not thought about recently. Kanako had checked up on her, and the newly short haired girl had apparently found a new place to live, a room at a boarding house that was decent enough. However, she apparently need more money on which to live, since she was looking for part time work that she could do when she was not in school, but with no luck so far.

Keitaro sighed as he looked around and saw that the train was about to reach his station. He was feeling calmer now, but he was still worried about Kanako and her reaction. If worse came to worse, he could just break off his relationship with the two police girls. As much as he wanted to be with them again, he did not want to bring down the massive levels of pain that Kanako could unleash when she was on a full tear.

Natsumi and Miyuki… He could see that they wanted to be with him, even more so than he wanted to be with them. They had not been happy to hear him tell them that he needed to think about things after they told him about Granny's offer, but he had promised that he would call them a few days. The sad and anxious looks on the two girls' faces when he walked away from the bridge was nothing like the eager happiness that had been then when they had first gotten together, but as much as he wanted to make the girls happy, he had to straightened things out in his mind first, to go over Granny's offer.

Granny's offer.

Granny.

It was all Granny's fault, wasn't it? Keitaro could see where she was coming from in making the offer, with his being the only young Urashima male left in the family but apparently she did not care so much about the havoc it would cause. He was reasonably sure his parents would not be too happy, Haruka would not really care, but Kanako would be like having a half empty barrel of gasoline hit with a tracer round; an epic explosion, followed by lots of flames and destruction.

This was all Granny's fault. First leaving him in charge of the Hinata-sou with no warning so she could go on her so-called world hot springs tour, then dropping this in his lap. She would totally deserve having all this dropped on her instead.

There was a thought, was it? Blame Granny. Tell Kanako that Granny had made an offer to the two girls to have his children with the Urashima name, leave their names out of it, and have her go off on the interfering old woman. It was not like Kanako could track her down and beat the crap out of her. Even if she could find her, Hina was so far above Kanako's level she would probably drop her in three moves… and more than likely only two.

Keitaro smiled thinly to himself as he stepped off the train onto the platform. While his problems where nowhere near over, he now had a viable plan in how to initially deal with them.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormatory<br>Early December  
>early evening<br>_

"_We need to talk."_

Four more scary words could not be thought of from any language. Having her older brother tell her that after dinner, with his aunt standing behind him and both of them with solemn looks on their faces, did not make it any better.

Kanako followed Keitaro and Haruka as they walked though the wooded glen behind the Sou. It was the same area where they had initially taken the seals off the Hina Honor Sword, and it was almost the same time of day. However, this time the three quarters moon was above their heads, and there was enough light for the three of them to walk between the trees with little trouble.

Reaching the clearing with the boulder that they had rested the sword case on, Keitaro stopped and turned to face Kanako. Haruka turned as well, standing shoulder to shoulder with her erstwhile cousin. The cold white moon light was illuminating both their faces, and Kanako could feel dread start to form around her heart. People did not go to this much trouble for good news.

"Kanako-chan, there are some things I need to tell you. You are not going to be happy about any of it. I am not doing this with the intention of hurting you, but someone forced my hand." Keitaro had a serious look on his face as he spoke. He watched as his little sister completely focused on him, which made him more than a little nervous. He had spoken with Haruka earlier about his idea on how to break the news to Kanako about the police girls and Granny's offer, and while she was willing to go along with Keitaro's plan, she also thought there was a fair chance of Kanako blowing up, which is why they were in the woods right now.

"As you suspected, I got romantically involved with someone in December of last year. What you probably didn't know was it was not just one girl. And no, I was not cheating on her, they both knew about each other." Keitaro said, seeing Kanako's eyes narrow and her fists clench.

"They both knew that I was leaving for Thailand in January for what was supposed to be a year long trip, so we all decided not to get too emotionally involved. We agreed that once I got back from the trip I would call them and see if we wanted to get back together again. Even though it's been three months since I got back home, I barely called them the other day." Here Keitaro paused to look at Kanako; while she was visibly angry, she did not look to be very much so.

"They were happy to hear from me, so we met at a park." Keitaro was being very careful not to give either names or locations in anything that he was saying, since he did not want to give Kanako the means to backtrack to the girls. "They wanted to get back together with me, but they felt that they had to tell me something in order to keep things honest between us. Granny Hina had found out about us and went to talk to them."

"What did she say?" Given how emotional Kanako was, her voice sounded gravelly as her head dipped downwards. Keitaro looked at her carefully before continuing.

"She did not have a problem with the girls being with me. In fact, she wanted to encourage it." Keitaro paused for a moment. "She told the girls that if they were to have my children, either as wives or concubines, they would receive the Urashima name and financial support, as long as we had partial custody."

At that moment both Keitaro and Haruka were almost blown off their feet by a massive _ki_ release, dwarfing anything they had ever felt before with the exception of the Hina Demon Blade being drawn. But instead of the cold feeling of anger they had previously experienced, the furnace-like heat of the orange reddish glow starting to form around the motionless younger girl was the greatly feared rage _ki_,.

"Kanako! KANAKO!" Keitaro shouted, trying to get closer to her but not being able to do so. "Please, don't do this, Kana-chan!" He was afraid, both for his sister and for what could occur. He had heard stories about people becoming locked into a rage _ki_ release, with destruction and death as a result. "Please, come back to me, I need you! You're family, you will always be a part of my life!" To his horror, the _ki_ started to intensify for a few moments before to his shock and relief, it started to recede, steadily but surely dropping before the orange glow disappeared completely. When that happened Kanako dropped down to her knees, openly crying. Keitaro was next to her in a heartbeat, enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm sorry Kana, I'm so sorry." Keitaro was not quite sure what he was apologizing for, all he knew was that his little sister was suffering because of him. He held her for a while, listening as her sobs dropped down to sniffles before she looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and more than a little scary.

"I'm sorry too, Kei-kun." The male Urashima frowned as he looked at her.

"Sorry for what, Kana-chan?" Keitaro was in no way prepared for her response.

"For this." Moving swiftly, Kanako kissed him fully, her tongue instantly invading his mouth. For a few moments Keitaro was too shocked to respond, before he tried to pull away with no great success as her arms were wrapped around his back. Just as an astounded Haruka was going to pull them apart, Kanako broke the kiss and pulled back and away, stumbling to her feet. Turning, she started to walk away.

"Where are you going, Kana-chan?" The question came from Haruka, as Keitaro was still on his knees, his eyes wide as he looked at her.

"I am not going to look for your girlfriends," the way Kanako pronounced the word was as though it left a foul taste in her mouth. "I have to leave for a few hours. Don't wait up for me." With that she walked into the trees alone, heading toward the Sou. After a couple of minutes, the humming sounds of Kanako's motorcycle became apparent. Shaking off their paralysis, the two Urashima ran toward the house, only to see the glowing taillight on Kanako's motorcycle as she quickly drove away, only her leather racer jacket and crash helmet visible as she disappeared down the access road.

Looking at each other but saying nothing, Keitaro and Haruka slowly moved over to a two person bench in the back yard. The two collapsed onto the wrought iron seat, and leaned against each other as they looked off toward the bright lights of Metro Tokyo.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormatory<br>early the next morning_

Keitaro stumbled slightly as he walked toward the kitchen. He had not slept well the night before, as he had waited in vain until after midnight for Kanako to return, then dozed fitfully in his room, listening for any sounds of her arrival. Kanako had apparently switched off her mobile phone when she left the night before, as calls went right to voice mail, so Keitaro just left a message asking her to call him back as soon as she could. Once the dawn arrived, he finally forced himself to get up and get ready for the rest of the day. He resolved that if he had not heard from his sister by the time breakfast was over, he was going to grab Haruka and go looking for her, even if it meant riding on the back of his aunt's suicide machine. Given Kanako's mood the night before, he suspected that he and Haruka would only need to ride to the rising column of smoke and/or follow the conga line of police, ambulances and self-defense force troops to where she was.

Walking through the kitchen doorway, Keitaro came to a halt. Sitting at the table was Kanako, wearing only a black t-shirt and jeans, slumped forward with her elbows on the tabletop, a posture that was totally alien to the always poised girl. A mug of hot tea was held with both hands, and as the surprised manager watched, she noisily slurped the drink, simultaneously cooling and drinking the steaming hot beverage. Keitaro could remember Kanako doing the same thing as a child, when she was in a hurry to drink something, but this was something he had not seen her do since she became a young adult.

"Good morning, Kei-kun." With a start, Keitaro realized that his sister's dark eyes were fixed on him.

"Good morning, Kanako-chan. How are you feeling this morning?" It sounded like a silly thing to ask, but Keitaro had spent the entire night worrying about his younger sister.

"A lot better, thank you." As a matter of fact, Kanako did look more calm and relaxed, with only the dark rings under her eyes to show that she had been up all night. That was unusual, as there times that she had not been able to sleep for three nights straight, and she did not look as visibly tired as she did now.

"When did you come in? I didn't hear you arrive." Keitaro gingerly sat down across from his sister.

"About half an hour ago. If I leave it in low gear, my bike is almost silent, and I did not want to wake everyone up." Kanako took another slurp of what Keitaro could now smell as green tea.

The silence that followed was not a comfortable one. Keitaro could not just come out and ask what Kanako thought about his girlfriend situation, and she was in no hurry to speak again. Just as Keitaro was opening his mouth to say something, say anything in fact, Shinobu walked into the kitchen.

"Oh! Good morning Kanako-san, sempai." The young resident gave a quick head bow.

"Good morning Shinobu-chan." Keitaro returned the greeting, while Kanako gave a grumbling growl as she drank her tea that could charitably be called a response. The cook was not offended, as she was used to her fellow residents being non-verbal in the early morning before they had their beverage of choice.

"Would you like for me to make you something to tide you over as I prepare breakfast?" Shinobu asked as she pulled on an apron over her casual clothes. It was a testament to how much more self confident the young girl was that she did not panic and start babbling at finding the two Urashima in the kitchen.

"If you can pour me a mug of tea that will be fine, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro was not about to ask Shinobu to go out of her way when she already had work to do.

"Not a problem, sempai." Filling a large mug with steaming hot water from a kettle, Shinobu quickly filled a tea strainer with loose green tea leaves and placed it in the mug before bringing it to the dorm manager. Hustling over to the breadbox, Shinobu loaded the toaster with bread slices before starting to pull various items from the refrigerator. "Sempai, do you mind if I turn on the radio?"

"Not at all." Shinobu had a transistor radio on the window still, which she used to listen to J-pop music as she worked. She reached over and turned it on, and as it was the top of the hour, there was a news report being given.

"…_At the top of the news today are reports of a major fight between rival factions of a bosozuko motorcycle group in Tokyo early this morning. Still under investigation after arrests last year for kidnapping and sexual assault, the Rising Sun motorcycle club apparently started fighting amongst themselves, with most of the violence taking place at their clubhouse in the Ginza district. While no fatalities occurred, there were many severe and crippling injuries among the club members and their motorcycles were vandalized and destroyed. The police are investigating this latest incident as well, however due to the lack of cooperation from the club members, no arrests are forthcoming at this time."_

Hearing his sister snort softly Keitaro's eyes flicked over toward her for a moment before he noticed something and took a longer look, or more specifically at her hands, which were still wrapped around the mug. Even though her hands were clean, there were what appeared to be fresh scabs and bruises across the first two knuckles of both hands. Keitaro was familiar with those kind of injuries; usually they came from when someone did punching practice without hand wraps, or they were involved in a fistfight where they did not have hand protection.

Looking up at Kanako's face again, Keitaro saw that her eyes were once again focused on him, the expression in them both calm and unapologetic. Keitaro thought about what he suspected may have happened, who it happened to, and more importantly, how the person involved knew not to go too far. After a few moments, Keitaro stood and walked over to a kitchen drawer and pulled out a small first aid kit they kept there. Walking back, he sat down next to his sister and pulled out some disinfectant wipes. Taking one of her hands, he started to clean the injuries as best he could, Kanako not reacting to the sting of the antiseptic, before placing knuckle bandages on the wounds. Finally, he brought her bandaged hands up to his face, and gently kissed the bandages, a throwback to when Keitaro would treat her scrapes and cuts as a child and he would kiss it to make it feel better.

"What are you going to do now, Kana-chan?" Keitaro spoke in a low voice, and with the music now playing, Shinobu did not hear it.

"Follow your lead. Watch your back. Same as always." The look in Kanako's eyes was softer now.

"And what about the girls?" Kanako knew that Keitaro was not referring to the residents of the Sou.

"I'm not going to be happy about it, but as long as they don't hurt you, I won't hurt them." Keitaro knew this was as good as it was going to get at this time.

"That includes physically." Keitaro had to make sure.

"If you insist." After last night, Keitaro was justified in asking, so Kanako could not get offended for the question.

"Thank you." Keitaro kissed her hands again before releasing them, just in time for Shinobu to turn around with a plate full of buttered toast.

"Is everything alright, sempai?" She blinked at seeing the manager now sitting next to his sister and the first aid kit out. Noticing that Kanako's hands were now bandaged, Shinobu decided discretion was the better part of valor and did not say anything about it.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Reaching over to grab his mug of tea, Keitaro took a slice of toast and smiled at the young cook. "Thank you for asking." Shinobu blushed in response, and turned back to work on breakfast, leaving everyone to their thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>AN – This time I am going to blame my new recliner chair for the fact that this update is a week late. The chair would not lock in the upright position (gee, that sounds familiar) so I had to return it to the store to get it fixed. Since I did not have a place to comfortably sit and write at home, I had to resume my habit of writing at restaurants and diners, which was not as comfortable as it was before. I finished the flashback section of this chapter this evening on my new chair and with the aid of two 12oz Red Bulls, one right after the other._

_Now that things are semi-straightened out with Kanako, will Keitaro be able to get back together with his Lovely Ladies? Or is he not ready to become a baby daddy?_

_Winner of the most unusual place reading my story is the lonely soul in the Palestinian Territories who read all 31 chapters of this story in one shot (or at least within a day or two). Runner up is the person reading my story in Afghanistan (probably a military serviceman), whom I have an idea or two who it could be, since they may be a member of TFF._

_Thanks go out to AZ MII and PCH for their help in beta-ing this chapter._

_As of 10Apr 2012 0000PDT, this story had 189,910 hits, 381 Reviews,40 C2 Listings, 524 Favorite Listings, and 470 Story Alerts. Thanks again for reading, guys.*double thumbs up*_


	33. Chapter 33

Ch 33

V 1.5

_A/N 1 – The song used in this section is a cover of the theme for the anime Serial Experiment Lain. The version used is on YouTube titled **Duvet – Bôa (acoustic cover)**, by **murasakimochi**. You can find it by plugging in the title and user name on the YouTube search field. Go ahead and do so right now and pause it if you want to hear the song as it takes place in the story._

_The reason Miyuki knows about Keitaro's family background is because she went and looked it up after Granny Hina came to visit. The story of the Urashima and the Tokugawa are semi-historical fact in this story universe_; more current events are more foggy, especially where Granny is concerned._  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>Mid December  
>early morning<br>(three months after story start) _

_It was not difficult to **know** what is the right thing to do. What was difficult was **doing** what you know is the right thing._

When Keitaro Urashima had first heard that saying, he thought it sounded like wisdom usually found printed on a slip of paper in a fortune cookie. Then again, he had never before really had to make a hard choice to make like this. Rescuing Kanako had not been a choice; it had happened before his eyes. Rescuing Sarah had taken some planning and deliberation, but it was something that he could no more turn his back on than chasing after his sister and her abductors had been.

Leaning up against the frame of an upper story window, Keitaro looked out at the grey and black sky, watching as storm clouds rolled in from the Pacific, thinking about his situation. Being stuck with the responsibilities of managing the Hinata-sou and becoming the new clan heir was something he had not initially wanted to do. He had been more than a little angry about the way that Granny Hina had dumped everything on him, and then conveniently took off for parts unknown before he had a chance to protest. But after thinking about it for a few weeks, Keitaro had begun to understand why Hina had done what she did, even if he did not approve of it. He had heard stories (from his father, not from Hina) about what his grandmother had gone through both during and after the Pacific War, when most of Tokyo had been made into a scorched ruin. With her mother too mentally traumatized from the American air raids, her grandfather crippled by age and injuries and her remaining brother younger than her, Hina had become the de facto head of the family at age 10. By innate shrewdness and intelligence, Hina Urashima had not only held what was left of her family together, twenty years later it was thriving again, their affluence and holdings such that when the township surrounding their main home was rebuilt, it was renamed Hinata City. But it was not just financial acumen that made the current clan head the person she was today; both Hina and her brother Hiro had earned their red belts in the desperate years after the war, Hina at age 12.

By abruptly giving him both the Hinata-sou and the clan heir position, this was probably Hina's way of giving Keitaro on-the-job training, in the fine Japanese tradition of 'not telling the person who is learning anything, let them figure it out themselves'. Keitaro did not like it when it happened in anime; he certainly did not like it when it was happening to him. But also in the tradition of the Urashima family, Keitaro was able to take over the operations of the Hinata-sou with the help of his aunt and his sister. It was not the chores and the Sou maintenance that had given him problems, it had been the tenants.

Beating up bikers and pirates notwithstanding, Keitaro had something of a problem standing up to aggressive people. Part of this was due to the bred in the bone politeness that most Japanese people had, but also it had to do with his lack of socializing when he was younger; most of his free time was used for studying for school, practicing the family martial arts, and spending time with his family. Dealing with irrational and unbalanced people was something he did not frequently do, not until he got back from Thailand. Not until he had to deal with the tenants of the Hinata-sou.

With all the training the young Urashima had in his life, he did not have a real problem with defending himself, but he still hesitated when his opponent was female, or at least he hesitated in inflicting possibly crippling or fatal attacks. It was not like he enjoyed smashing someone's knee or doing a shoulder throw headfirst into the ground, but for some reason he had to deliberately make himself attack a female, even if she was an imminent threat to himself. It was not something to be ashamed of, but it was a real problem when an attacker was a seriously cute, hot and crazy girl out for his blood.

Keitaro had only really had to go toe to toe with one of the tenants, with all of the serious incidents involving Motoko Aoyama, the now former swordswoman. Naru Narusegawa had come close a couple of times, but since the last incident involving him accidentally peeking on her in her room, she had learned to calm down and not completely lose her temper, unless someone deliberately assaulted her, then all bets were off. Mentally, he had the most problems with Kitsune Konno, with her various shenanigans to get out of chores and with her overdue rent payments and extensions, and Kaolla Su, with her penchant to do Tim Taylor _More Power!_ improvements on various home appliances. Shinobu Maehara was no problem at all, except for her earlier inclination to be a doormat to the other tenants, but she was growing out of that nicely.

But after all was said and done, things had improved at the Hinata-sou; Keitaro had learned how to conduct himself around members of the opposite sex while in a position of authority, with the added bonus of cutting back his incidents of clumsiness and accidental groping. But just when he had thought he was getting a handle on things at the Sou, Granny Hina decided to throw a spanner in the works with her little offer to Natsumi and Miyuki.

Keitaro could see why Granny was interested in his being 'fruitful and multiplying'; being the only young male Urashima left in the family, this went beyond the normal call for 'grandbabies!' that was seen in the elder generation. And it was not like she was trying to keep him from meeting his Promise Girl at Todai, however it would be more than a little awkward to introduce his girlfriends and children to the girl he had promised to live happily ever after with.

Maintaining his honor was not the trial some people would expect it to be. It was not like he was Ranma Saotome, the aquatransexual manga character fighting off multiple marriage engagements set up by his criminally inclined father. Keitaro was free to make his own decisions, and not have to wade through _omai_ after _omai_ set up by his parents and his granny, introducing him to various suitable girls with the intention of seeing if they meshed well for marriage. The problem was that he had already found someone that clicked with him, two someones in fact. But the mental image of Natsumi and Miyuki along with the specter of his Promise Girl was not something that comforted him.

Cocking his head, Keitaro could hear the faint sounds of music coming down the hall. As he was standing at the hallway window next to Shinobu's room, he could hear the sound of her stereo through both the door and the wall.

_And you don't seem to understand __  
><em>_A shame you seemed an honest man __  
><em>_And all the fears you hold so dear __  
><em>_Will turn to whisper in your ear __  
><em>_And you know what they say might hurt you __  
><em>_And you know that it means so much __  
><em>_And you don't even feel a thing __I am falling, I am fading __  
><em>_I have lost it all _

As he focused his attention on the music, he realized that he recognized the song as the theme from an anime, although this was a different version – a slower, guitar based acoustic melody with the lyrics sung in English. Keitaro walked up to Shinobu's door and rested his fingertips against the door as though he was going to knock, but instead he just listened to the song as it continued to play.

_And you don't seem the lying kind __  
><em>_A shame then I can read your mind __  
><em>_And all the things that I read there __  
><em>_Candle lit smile that we both share __  
><em>_and you know I don't mean to hurt you __  
><em>_But you know that it means so much __  
><em>_And you don't even feel a thing __I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning __  
><em>_Help me to breathe __  
><em>_I am hurting, I have lost it all __  
><em>_I am losing __  
><em>_Help me to breathe _As the chorus began to repeat, Keitaro turned away from the door. Walking downstairs to his room, he pulled out his hoodie and an umbrella out of the closet. Pausing for a moment to write a short note and pin it to his room door, he walked out of the Sou.

The note on his door fluttered in the slight breeze that entered the house when the door opened. The paper stayed attached, the neat _hiragana_ script spelling out the message.

_Gone to meet with some friends. Will probably be late, don't wait up for me.  
>- Keitaro<em>

* * *

><p><em>TsujimotoKobayakawa Residence  
>Koto City, Tokyo, Japan<br>Mid December  
>late morning <em>

Natsumi had no great love for bad weather like the rain now pouring down outside their apartment building. In their line of work, it meant standing around in cold wet weather in rain gear that was barely worthy of the name, writing incident reports on vehicular accidents that were almost the fault of some idiot that thought that going 30 km above the speed limit was acceptable in conditions that turned the roads and highways into giant Slip & Slides. Some poor unfortunate would be on the receiving end of the crash, and unless they were truly lucky, they would be injured in the accident. The only thing worse than a bad weather accident was a drunk driving vehicle accident with injuries; Natsumi's superiors did not ask awkward questions about the bruised and bloodied suspects that were taken into custody, presumably injured by the crash and not from accidentally slamming their head into a door frame, or tripping and falling while walking down steps while handcuffed.

Even having days off during bad weather was not a good thing, as she could not go out and participate in the various sports she was involved in. The only activities that were left for her to do was to engage in Special Unit training involving sadistic trainers brought in from the JSDF Airborne Division, which usually involved running through mud, crawling through mud, or doing the first two and then climb up ropes with full gear while covered in the aforementioned mud. Natsumi could do it due to her _chi_ enhanced strength, but then every other member of the unit would get punished for not being able to do it too, and she got tired of the evil eyes she would get as a result. But even now a day of slogging through mud was starting to look good compared to spending the day with her roommate.

Even as different as their personalities were, there was always something unexplainable that kept the boisterous athletic tomboy and the demure gearhead and techie together. And when all else failed, there was always their 'together time', where both their familiarity with each other and the judicious use of various items helped pass the time more quickly. On this day though, that was not to be.

Miyuki was sitting, if you could call it that, in a bean bag chair, slouched down so low it was almost as though she were laying down. A set of headphones were on her head, and a cord lead to the stereo beside her. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as though she was asleep. She was not though as her foot, propped up in her opposing leg, was swaying along with the tempo of the music she was listening to. Given the slow movement of her foot, it appeared as though she was now listening to classical western music as compared to the sugary J-pop or maudlin American love ballads from before.

Natsumi was of two minds about her partner's choice of music. On one hand classical was much preferable to the other stuff she had been listening to, much of which had been about love and the various bad endings that resulted from it. On the other hand, some of Yuki-chan's classical music was so depressing it would probably violate the Geneva Convention if they had played it to prisoners.

Miyuki's depression was understandable, as Natsumi was undergoing certain aspects of it as well. They both badly missed Keitaro, ranging from the way he would smile at them, to the way he felt when he hugged them, to the way he made love to them. And it was love; or at the very least it was not just sex when the three of them were together. But as bad as this was, there was an additional carrot being dangled over her partner's head; the possibility of a child. Natsumi could see herself as a mother somewhere down the line, but she was in no hurry to have it happen. On the other hand you could see what Miyuki wanted every time she would see a mother and child walking together on the sidewalk or playing together in a park.

Natsumi almost wanted to hate Keitaro for what he was doing to her friend, even as inadvertent as it was. But she could see where he was as well; being given _carte blanche_ to have children with two women was enough to set anyone back. Keitaro already had plans for his life, such as entering Todai, as well as responsibilities and duties he could not step away from. And given how dedicated Keitaro could be, she understand why he would want to be involved in his children's lives. So while she could not begrudge their paramour's request to a week to think things over, she was not sure that she and her partner would survive it with their hearts intact.

Sitting at the table in their apartment, Natsumi took a sip from her cup of sake before grimacing. The hot beverage had cooled off, and the bottle in front of her was now empty. Pushing herself to her feet, she started to walk toward the kitchen counter and another bottle of sake when she heard someone knock on the front door. Stopping in mid-step in surprise, she glanced at the door and then at her oblivious partner; they were not expecting any visitors today. In fact, this reminded her of the last time they had an unannounced visitor, and all the turmoil that resulted from it.

Stepping over to where Miyuki was, she tapped her moving foot with her own and got her attention. Pulling off her headphones the dark haired girl looked up at her partner expectantly. Jerking her head to the side, Natsumi motioned toward the front door and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she was expecting any visitors. Miyuki shook her head and rolled up to her feet from the bean bag chair as her partner walked up the door and peered through the peephole. The brown haired girl froze for a long moment before abruptly opening the door, almost ripping it out of the frame.

The young male standing before them was almost unrecognizable, as he was clearly rain-soaked in spite of his hooded sweatshirt. His black hair was plastered to his head, and the guy was squinting at them as though he was missing his glasses. Looking from one to the other, he asked, "Natsumi-chan? Miyuki-chan? Is that you?" and was barely able to stay on his feet as the girl at the door yanked him into the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. The girl pulled him into her arms in a tight hug before flinching and pulling back, the cold wet sweater he had on soaking through her thin t-shirt instantly. "Keitaro-kun! Why are you all wet!"

"Because it's raining outside and the wind ripped my umbrella apart?" Keitaro's laconic response gave Natsumi enough of a pause to enable Miyuki to take hold of his shoulder and turn him toward her. Looking at her, he could see that she wanted to hug him as well, but she was reluctant to and not just because of his wet clothes. "Hi there, Miyuki-chan. Sorry I came without letting you know first."

"You weren't the loudest guy, but we always knew when you were about to come." Both Miyuki and Keitaro slowly turned and looked at Natsumi incredulously for her off-color remark. "What?" she asked, trying to look innocent, or not guilty, and failing miserably.

Shaking her head, Miyuki turned back to look at their visitor. "Where are your glasses, Keitaro-kun?" she asked, trying to ignore memories her partner's wisecrack brought to mind.

Blinking at her, Keitaro reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out his glasses, showing that they were as wet as well. "Glasses you can't keep dry are worse than useless. I can actually see better with them off until I clean them." The young man motioned with his spectacles. "Do you have something like a handkerchief or an old piece of t-shirt so I can clean and dry them?"

"Why not a piece of tissue paper or a Kleenex?" Miyuki asked as Natsumi wandered off, apparently looking for the requested item.

"Tissue paper is made out of wood pulp, it scratches plastic lens. It's better to use a piece of soft cloth." The two fell quiet, with Miyuki not sure what else to say, and Keitaro apparently wanting to be able to see clearly before saying else.

"Here you go, Taro-kun." Natsumi walked back to Keitaro and handed him a wadded up piece of cloth. Hold one edge of it, he let it unfold and saw that it was an old t-shirt, one that was faded and wash-worn with the Romanji words 'Face Up Here' and an arrow pointing upwards. Keitaro's eyes flicked toward the brown haired girl, who merely smiled and shrugged. "It's an old running shirt. I don't wear it anymore, too small."

Keitaro nodded as he started to use the shirt to clean his glasses. He had seen Natsumi come back from some of her runs. The Special Unit officer made it a habit of getting up before dawn three times a week (or have her partner wake her up, to be more accurate) and go for a 10 km run; 2 km at a jog, 6 km at a three quarter speed pace, one and a half km at a full sprint, and a half km to cool down, all the while wearing a t-shirt, tactical pants, and SWAT boots. He could see why she would wear the t-shirt; even wearing an athletic bra, Natsumi had an eye-catching bust, and seeing her run in a thin shirt immediately drew everyone's attention. And it had to be a t-shirt, as her metabolism ran high enough that it affected her body temperature and a sweatshirt would actually cause her to start to overheat.

Finishing drying and polishing his glasses, Keitaro slipped them back on. Looking from one girl to the other, he could see that they were both looking slightly concerned and nervous, although Natsumi was concealing it better. "Sorry I came over without calling, but this is something I didn't want to do over the phone." He saw that they both tensed at that statement. "I know I didn't react well when you told me what Granny offered, but I later realized that I made a mistake that day. I made some assumptions that weren't fair, at least before I asked you about them. That's what I want to do now."

Turning toward Natsumi, he smiled slightly, trying to put her at ease. "First off, I'm guessing that since you brought up the offer, you are not opposed to it?"

Shaking her head slightly, Natsumi responded. "No, we're not. Like I've said before, we have a hard time finding good guys to be romantic with. This is one way to do it, since me and Miyuki-chan want to stay together if possible."

Looking back at the darker haired girl, Keitaro asked his next question. "Since you agree with the offer, that implies that you want to have children. *When* do you want to have these children. Right now? A couple years from now?"

Miyuki started to blush. "I would like to have a child right now, but I can see that it would not be very convenient. You are trying to enter Todai, and I'm still a patrol officer. It would take a year or so to make arrangements so our situations would be more ideal."

Glancing over at Natsumi, she half smiled as she responded. "I want a kid, but I'm not in that big a hurry. I want to see how far I can get with the Special Unit, and that will take a couple years at least."

"What kind of arrangements would you need to make, Miyuki-chan?" Keitaro asked.

"I keep being offered a position with the Forensics Unit. It would be an increase in pay, but it is also partially be an administrative position. It would be easier to be a working mother with consistent hours there."

"You want to be a working mother?" Unspoken but implicit in that query was the question of whether Miyuki would want to keep working after having a child.

"I've… done a lot of work to get where I am. I don't want to leave it unless I need to. Chances are I will anyway, but I don't want to be like those girls that join the department to find a husband." Miyuki and Natsumi worked with an extreme example of a husband hunter, Chie Sagamiono, a rich girl that actually had a Porsche 911 outfitted for official use in police colors and lights and sirens.

Keitaro smiled softly. "Trust me, I'm not in any rush here. I just want to keep my promises and obligations if I can." Miyuki looked like she wanted to hug him, but he held up a hand. "One last thing. Do you have any legal documentation for Granny's offer?"

Miyuki stepped away from Keitaro and toward a desk alongside the wall. Pulling a folder out of a drawer, she handed it to Keitaro who opened it and started reading the sheets inside. Finally he looked at the header of the document and the included business card, recognizing it as the legal firm that handled much of his family's legal affairs. That and the phone number scribbled on the back in Granny's unmistakable handwriting were the final proof that this was all legit on both sides. Closing the folder, he handed it back to Miyuki, who laid it down on the nearby dining table, never taking her eyes from his face. Natsumi, sensing that something big was going to happen, moved so she was standing next to her partner.

"Miyuki-san… Natsumi-san… I need to apologize to you both." Shocking the two girls, Keitaro bowed deeply. "I came to conclusions that were in error, and by acting on them, I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me for my thoughtlessness."

"What conclusion would that be?" Natsumi asked, just before Miyuki's elbow slammed into her side. She had immediately figured out what Keitaro meant and did not want to bring it up again, but her partner beat her to the punch.

Keitaro paused for a moment, hesitant to say the words aloud, before he finally started to speak. "I was thinking that you were not as interested in me as you were in what I could do for you. Since you and Miyuki-chan are together, I presumed that you wanted to have me father a child for you but that you would not otherwise want me to be a part of the child's life. That is not something I could do; if I am to be a father, it will be as the real deal, not just as a sperm donor. But then I thought about it and I realized that I made assumptions without being sure. After all, we've only really know each other for a couple months time total. So I came here to talk to you about it." He would have said more, but he was seized by the front of his sweater and jerked forward. What surprised him was who did it; not brash Natsumi, but the more reserved Miyuki.

Wrapping her arms around him, she did not pull away from his wet clothing. The look on her face was not one he had seen before, that of anger. "You… you… stupid man! How many times do we have to tell you! WE… WANT… TO… BE… WITH… YOU! Yes, I want to have your child, but it would not be the same if you were not with us! What will it take to convince you!" Tears started to trace down her cheeks.

"I am just a _ronin_, I am not that special…" Keitaro was interrupted again.

"SHUT UP! You are Keitaro Urashima, heir to the noble Urashima clan, _hatamoto_ to the Tokugawa shogunate! You are the descendant of Taro Urashima, the unarmed scholar who saved the life of Ieyasu Tokugawa himself! You saved two different girls from fates worse than death, one from a city that is almost Hell on earth! You are NOT JUST A _RONIN_!" Miyuki almost screamed at him before burying her face in his neck and starting to cry. "We love you, *I* love you! I know you have trouble believing this, but it is the truth."

"I've done horrible things, Miyuki-chan, things that may damn me in the next life…" Keitaro said before he was interrupted one more time.

"Then let the gods judge you, because we won't! You are a part of our lives, and I'll be damned if I let you go again!" Miyuki looked up at him, tears now streaming from her eyes. "Please don't leave us again, please don't go…"

Slowly, Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, pulling her fully against him. He closed his eyes for a long moment before making his decision and opening them again. "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" He looked over at Natsumi, only to see that her eyes were tearing up as well as she nodded her agreement.

"Yes! Oh gods yes!" Miyuki may have wanted to say more, but Keitaro's lips on hers cut her off. Moaning, she tried to pull herself closer, but she was pressed up as much as she could against Keitaro. She did feel a female body press up against her from behind, however.

"As much as I don't want to be the voice of reason here, Taro-kun is wearing cold wet clothes." Natsumi had an amused tone in her voice. "He needs to take them off and take a hot bath."

Miyuki moaned again as her partner tried to pull her away. "I'll warm him up," she said, her voice sultry.

Chuckling softly, Natsumi finally got the other girl away from their boyfriend. "We don't want him to get sick just as we got him back, now do we? Let the poor man take a shower at least."

Opening her eyes, Miyuki giggled at the shell-shocked look on Keitaro's face that was a result of her passionate attack on him. "Well, I think we can wait ten minutes for him to shower. Keitaro-kun?" The young man blinked repeatedly before focusing on her. "Hurry with your bath, or Natsumi-chan and I are coming in after you."

Keitaro blinked a couple more times before he started to move toward the bathroom. The shower stall in the girl's apartment was literally the size of a phone booth; while it was possible for two people to squeeze in there, three people was too much.

"Kei-kun? Please hurry, we're starting to get cold too." Glancing toward the girls, Keitaro almost stumbled as he saw that they had stripped off their t-shirts and shorts, leaving them in bras and panties and embracing each other. Regaining his footing, the young man hurried into the bathroom, the happy laughter of the two women following behind him.

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – since it's been over a month since my last posting, and things have been happening in my life, I thought I would make a game of it. Below are various excuses for me not coming out with this chapter sooner; you get to pick out which are true/apply._

_A – a massive sore throat, one that required a day off from work, that not only took a full ten days of antibiotics to stop, but an extra ten days of medication when the damn thing came back again._

_B – extreme tiredness, maybe related to the previous sickness. You know how I mentioned that I sometimes drink Red Bull before I write? I would finish a 12 oz can and STILL fall asleep – five minutes later!_

_C – ammo in storage that was whispering my name and begging me to go shooting._

_D – a city inspection of the rental house I live in. So not only did I have to clean the place up (I am not the neatest of persons), the inspector in his infinite wisdom decided that I needed to have a natural gas heater installed in the house. Never mind the fact that I've lived in this house for 15 years without one, and that another family member lived here for over 20 years before that without a heater, and I'm in Southern California in the middle of a heat wave - I needed a gas heater ASAP! So my nice new heater is now installed in the wall beside me… with the gas line shut off since the day I fire that sucker up is when global climate change results in a daytime high of just above freezing!_

_E – The video games Mass Effect (the first one) and Max Payne 3. I can tell you this – I am not wearing the damn pink and white armor in ME, no matter the armor rating!_

_F – None of the Above_

_G – ALL of the Above!_

_Winner of the most unusual place reading my story is Bangladesh, where someone once again read the entire story in one crack. The runner up is Guyana. Honorable mentions go to the person reading this story via Internet Satellite Provider and the other person reading this story on the Mediterranean island of Malta._

_For people that are into Black Lagoon stories, go read 'Broken Birds Fly to Roanapur', by Vengeful Soldier. Yes, it is mostly OCs at this point and the spelling and punctuation is a bit rough, but it's an excellent story. It is in the Black Lagoon section of FFN.  
><em>

_Once again thanks to AZ MII and PCH for their help in beta-ing this chapter._

_As of 0015 PDT 21May12, this story had 214,182 hits, 407 Reviews,47 C2 Listings, 567 Favorite Listings, and 500 Story Alerts(!) Thanks again for reading, guys.*double thumbs up*_


	34. Chapter 34

Ch 34

V 1.0 – See A/N at end. New material starts at line break.

_Hinata-sou Dormitory  
>Mid December<br>late afternoon  
>(three months after story start) <em>

"When are we going to eat, Shinobu-chan?" Surprisingly enough Kaolla Su was not the resident asking the question, but it was the second most immature of the residents. Even though Mitsune Konno, known as Kitsune by those close to her, was actually the oldest of the tenants living at the Hinata-sou, you could not really tell by the tone of her voice, which at this point had a whining quality that made her sound more like the young island princess in their midst.

"In just a few more minutes, Kitsune-sempai. Keitaro-sama is bringing a couple of friends to eat with us tonight, and he said they may be delayed by traffic. If they are not here in ten minutes, he said to start eating without them." Shinobu Maehara, second youngest of the tenants yet the most mature and responsible of the lot, had just brought a tray with a pot of steaming tea and cups into the living room, presumably to tide them over for a few more minutes. As soon as she set the tray down on the coffee table, the blunette reached into the pocket on the front of her neat dark green apron and produced a couple of bright yellow bananas and casually tossed the ripened fruit over the coffee table toward the antsy blonde girl sitting on the couch fidgeting. Just as the fruit passed the apogee of its arc, it was snatched in mid-air by the now fully attentive young teen. Tossing one banana up in the air, Su quickly peeled the other fruit and popped it into the air just in time to catch and peel the first one. Holding the two fruits in her hand, Su then semi-calmly broke one banana in half, tossed it into her mouth and started to chew.

Kanako Urashima, on a love seat perpendicular to the sofa where Su, Konno and Naru Narusegawa were sitting, watched as the youngest girl happily ate her snack. While normally she would not have been happy with Shinobu throwing food around or Su's antics, she knew that they were a great improvement on the younger girl's behavior. After just arriving to live at the Sou, she had watched the oblivious girl shove entire bananas into her mouth while in an eating frenzy, sometimes not even pausing to peel them. While not a prude, Kanako had winced at the inappropriate image it produced. Gradually the Urashima was able to convince the island princess to slow down her eating and to do so in a manner that was more proper and dignified. The one habit she had not been able to break had been her eagerness to receive her precious fruit when presented to her; Su had an unfortunate tendency to instinctive try to grab them from the person passing them to her… with her teeth. After a near miss involving Shinobu's fingers, the domestic tenant would toss the bananas at the tropical girl, who would juggle them in the air as she peeled them. Once the fruit was ready to eat Kanako was able to convince Su that her consumption of her favorite food would last longer if she broke the fruit into chunks to eat rather than cramming everything down at once. After timing her once, Kanako was able to show that eating the fruit piecemeal would quadruple the time she would be enjoying it rather than consuming it in a frenzy and then leaving her with a hunger for more.

Turning her eyes toward the next resident, Kanako gave a slight sigh. Even though Mitsune Konno was the oldest of the tenants, she lived up to her nickname's namesake, the trickster fox. While she was not trying to pull scams or come on to Keitaro anymore, that did not preclude her mischievous activities toward the other residents. Naru was used to her friend's antics, so she would shake her head and continue what she was doing before, Su would giggle and join in with the older girl, and Shinobu would just give a longsuffering sigh. However, Kitsune's activities had reduced themselves from physical pranks and mischief to mostly good-natured teasing. It was even less than that for the two youngest girls as the oldest girl had learned the hard way you did not want to annoy the person that washed your clothes (Shinobu was still being paid to do the other tenant's laundry) or was liable to show her appreciation of a joke played on her with either a flying jump kick or a glomp hug that felt like it should belong to a gorilla. The only people Kitsune did not mess with at all was Haruka, who's stoic demeanor was such that Kitsune did not want to provoke a response, and Kanako herself. The trickster girl did not even tried anything with the youngest Urashima, as the glares from the dark haired girl when she had first arrived at the Sou completely cowed her. On the positive side, while Kitsune had never been described as an enthusiastic worker or a punctual bill payer, she was now a diligent worker at the Tea House and had been paying her rent on time at the Sou, even if she came running up at the end of the day to Kanako's or Keitaro's room to do so.

Looking at the last tenant on the couch, Kanako did not really know what to think of Naru Narusegawa. The brown haired girl was certainly dedicated to her studies, to the point that she stood out among other Todai aspirants, but her behavior otherwise was certainly not of the norm. A lot was explainable due to the two assaults she had suffered, but it appeared that Naru had pulled into her shell as a way of dealing with the world. Kanako would not have been surprised to have seen a person who had gone through what she had become _hikikomori_, suffering from acute social withdrawal to the point of not leaving her room or house, almost like the agoraphobic Westerners that were who were afraid to be out in the open and locked themselves in their home. In this case Kitsune was actually good for her friend, as she kept Naru from withdrawing even more than she did. But even now Naru was wearing her coke-bottle glasses and reading a test prep book while her ash blonde friend sat beside her sipping at a clear beverage that Kanako was sure was not tea.

Kanako looked up as Shinobu returned to the living room from the kitchen. Instead of sitting down next to her on the love seat or on one of the single seats around the living room, the blunette instead stayed standing between the two sofas.

"Shinobu-chan, why don't you sit down? We don't know how much longer it will be before Manager-san gets here." Kitsune was looking up at the younger girl.

"It's OK, Kitsune-sempai. I don't want to get right back up again." Shinobu shook her head slightly.

"Right back up? What are you talking about?" Haruka Urashima, who had been silently sipping her tea on one of the single upholstered chairs, finally spoke up.

"Well, I've noticed that if I am waiting for something or someone, if I stay standing and then sit down, what I was waiting for will happen shortly afterwards." Shinobu moved over to the side of the love seat and sat down beside Kanako. "It's actually one of the ways I can make something happen faster."

"You've got to be kidding, Shinobu-chan, there's no way that would actually…" Kitsune's voice trailed off as she heard a car motor approaching the back of the house. "…work?" Shinobu just smiled at the older girl as she stood up and started to walk toward the back door. The other residents, who had been following the exchange, merely stood and followed the young domestic out to the driveway to greet their guest.

Parked in front of them was a older blue Toyota convertible with the top down. There were two young women, a short brown haired girl and a long black haired girl in the front seat, and their erstwhile manager was now carefully climbing out of the back. Once he was out of the car, he stood beside the two young ladies and walked toward the residents of the Sou, who had instinctively formed into a line facing them.

The trio came to a halt two paces in front of the tenants and stayed silent for a moment before Keitaro spoke up. "Good morning, everyone. Sorry we were late, there was a traffic delay." The male Urashima scanned the line of people and while he could see curiosity on the faces of the tenants, there was only Haruka's calm demeanor on hers and a poker face that would put most card sharks to shame on Kanako's. Seta-sensei, Sara and Nyamo were not present, as today they were at the Ministry of Justice arranging for the latter's resident visa.

"Ladies, these are some of the residents and tenants of the Hinata Sou. From that end is Naru Narusegawa, Kitsune Konno, Kaolla Su, Shinobu Maehara, my aunt Haruka Urashima, and my sister Kanako Urashima." As Keitaro introduced each resident, they either smiled and nodded slightly or gave a slight bow for the more traditionally minded.

Turning back to the pair beside him, Keitaro resumed speaking. "These young ladies are Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, my good friends." Here Keitaro took a deep breath before speaking the words that froze the tenants in place. "They are both also my girlfriends."

* * *

><p>Looking from one end of the line to the other, Keitaro could see that almost everyone was reacting to his revelation as he had expected. Haruka had not changed expression, Kanako's face looked as though it was carved from granite, Su was looking somewhat puzzled, and Shinobu was blushing heavily. Kitsune's eyes were wide open for once instead of being half-closed in her normal fox girl look, and Naru was slowly turning red and was already past her 'bash the pervert' look and rapidly closing on 'kill all degenerate swine NOW!'. Thankfully, he had talked to his 'Lovely Ladies'™ about what could happen following their little revelation and they had planned accordingly.<p>

"Naru-san, I know what you are thinking, and you are mistaken." Miyuki's soft and calm voice nonetheless seized the hot-headed brunette's attention. "The truth of the matter is that Natsumi-chan and I were the ones to ask Keitaro-kun to become our boyfriend at the same time. And we had a very hard time convincing him to do so. We had not seen him for almost a full year before we met again a week ago, and we had both missed him so very much. And rather than having him date only one of us and the other being left out, we decided to both date him at the same time." The trio had decided beforehand that they were not going to mention Granny's little offer, as that would just stir things up even more.

Naru's facial expression was starting to cool down, so Kitsune decided to speak up. "Why do you both want to date him? He can't be that great a guy, can he? No offense, Manager-san." Keitaro nodded in acknowledgement to her apology and therefore everyone missed Kanako's rather visible twitch.

"He is that great a guy." Here it was Natsumi that spoke. "He's smart, good looking, kind, hard-working…" The short haired brunette spaced out for a long moment before mentally shaking it off and continuing. "I don't know how it is for you young people, but there is a shortage of available decent guys to date. When you find one, you grab on and don't let go."

"Young people? How old are you?" Naru spoke next, her face still flushed, which explained her rude question.

"Miyuki-chan is 29 years old and I'm 28," Natsumi replied. "Old enough to know a good thing when we see it. Or in this case, see him." Wrapping an arm around Keitaro's shoulder, she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips before turning back toward the younger girl and smiling.

"So do you guys just share Manager-san? Or do you *share* him?" Kitsune's suggestive question was asked just to tease the trio, she did not expect the response she got.

"Oh yes. Some of the best times of our relationship have been when the three of us are together." Miyuki gave a smile that was so innocent, blissful and yet *naughty*, that there was no way for it to be misunderstood. Which explained why the next question came up.

"Does Manager-san taste good?" Here everyone slowly turned and looked at Su, who was smiling innocently while rocking back and forth on her heels. "You both are going to be his wives, yes?"

"Why are you saying that, Su-chan?" It was everything Keitaro could do to not have winced at the young blonde islander girl's question.

"In my country nobles take up to three wives. To make sure that his family line continues the lord and the girls who want to marry him do _snu-snu_ until the girl gets pregnant, then they get married." Here Su frowned. "There were bad lords that would not marry girls until babies were born, and then sometimes they didn't marry if they were girl babies. My Momma and Poppa got really angry at one lord who kept doing that, since all the babies were girl babies, so they took his title and money away, split it up among the girls and babies. Since then everyone gets married as soon as girl is pregnant."

"And why do you think we are going to be Keitaro-kun's wives?" Miyuki's question was carefully non-committal

"Manager-san is a lord, is he not? Part of a noble family here in Japan?" Su looked from the two girlfriends and Keitaro to the two female Urashima standing off to the side.

"Keitaro-kun is the heir to his family clan, that is true, but he's not quite a lord yet. Right now Granny Hina is the head and lord of the Urashima clan." Haruka replied. "Besides, having more than one wife is illegal in Japan."

"Pff." Su made a hand gesture that looked remarkably Italian. "You can't make love illegal. If man loves more than one woman, and they love him back, that is from heart. Words on paper no change that." Then Su did something they were not used to - she smirked. "If more than one wife illegal, why does Japan have _saishoudoukin_?"

Everyone paused at that. _Saishoudoukin_, which literally translated meant 'sleeping with one's wife and mistress in the same bedding,' was the custom of having both a wife and a mistress living in the same house at the same time. While it had taken place mostly in feudal era Japan, there was still some talk of some current time well-to-do men continuing the custom, although it was probably more to produce children when the wife could not and not just for gratification. But then the fact that Su knew about _saishoudoukin_ was what was so surprising, although it should not have been. People kept underestimating Su due to her weak spoken Japanese, and they would forget that that this was the girl that had built a giant hovering turtle mech in her room.

"Su-chan, how do you know about _saishoudoukin_?" Kitsune asked, glancing at Keitaro and his girlfriends while trying to covertly wipe the trickle of crimson leaking from her nose.

"Read about it in comic book I found at school." Su explained. "Magic girls all chasing after one boy, one of girls ask magical book what to do, book says _saishoudoukin._ Book shows girl and boy and girlfriend in bed together for _snu-snu_. Book not good after that, no show _snu-snu_. Had to go on Internet and find other comic books showing _snu-snu_." Su looked disgusted for a moment, then brightened. "But then discovered American website, stores many _snu-snu_ books on-line. Have almost five terabytes downloaded," the high school girl announced happily. "Don't read books with tentacles, too icky."

By this time, both Natsumi and Miyuki were wide-eyed, Shinobu was almost glowing red in embarrassment, Kitsune had blood trickling from both nostrils, and Naru had a rather visible tic in one eye. Haruka had raised an eyebrow, Kanako had an even more severe look on her face, and Keitaro was trying not to cringe.

"Su-chan… you read… _hentai _manga?" Naru was obviously trying not to lose her temper and doing a bad job of it.

"Read _snu-snu_. _Hentai _is bad, when show people being hurt. _Snu-snu_ is normal part of life. People who don't _snu-snu_ angry, mean. Act like you and Motoko-chan, sometimes," the young blonde girl explained, oblivious to the implied insult which brought Naru to a halt. "So I help pay to make more _snu-snu_ books, make people happy."

"Wait a second, you help make manga? How?" This time the question came from Haruka.

"Contact writers of comic books, good artists who want to do books but no have official jobs." Su replied. "Help them with money to produce books, arrange for books to be sold in Akihabara and online. Sometimes writers who already do comic books want to do _snu-snu _books, but bosses don't allow. I help them write under different names. Also give money to websites to pay for server space and bandwidth and to translate books to different languages."

"How can you afford to do all this?" Haruka asked in wonder. "And how long have you been doing this?"

"Use lunch money. Shinobu-chan make tasty food, so I bring from here and no need to buy food at school." Su grinned as she threw her arm around the shoulder of a still blushing Shinobu. Of the group present, only the Urashima knew that what Su received as weekly 'lunch money', and what she considered pocket change, most people would consider a *very* decent monthly paycheck. "Started doing this when I first arrive here from Mol-mol, can't work in lab on Mecha-Tama all the time. Have Internet group that help, we called Team Vanilla. Wanted to call it Team Banana, but others no agree, call it 'risque.'" Su looked sad at that.

"Wait, you were twelve years old when you first came to Japan!" Naru almost shouted her question.

"I know about _snu-snu_ since I was ten years old, when I start womanly time every month. Momma and Big Sister explain." Su looked up at the fuming long haired brunette. "When have womanly feelings, you need to know why and what to do and not do. Great honor in Mol-mol to reach womanhood early, show that gods trust and bless you. Also sign that you are part of royal family." Su turned to Shinobu, who looked to be in shock that her younger friend had started puberty so early. "Shinobu-chan, I'm really hungry, when do we eat?" There was a pleading note in the Molmolese girl's voice.

"Now, actually, since everyone is here." Shinobu shook off her feelings and looked toward Keitaro, who nodded his approval. "Let's all go inside, the food is ready to serve." With that everyone turned and started walking into the house, first the younger girls, then the older tenants. The two guests followed them up, with the Urashima bring up the rear.

* * *

><p><em>AN – Finally finished the full chapter. Sorry it took so long to do so._

_While I enjoyed my time at Anime Expo 2012, it was not quite as good as years past, as I missed out on some panels I had wanted to attend, one of them being Fakku, the largest English language ecchi manga and anime website. For their big 'Hentai Worth Watching' panel, the convention put them in the biggest meeting room, with room for 500+ people, and they still filled it! I was not able to attend that one since I was number 600 and change, but it can be seen on YouTube. I did give them a partial shout out in this chapter as a means of thanks to Jacob and Mike for their fine work archiving ecchi manga and doujishi, and to Team Vanilla for their great work translating the same._

_A new (to me at least) series I watched at the AX was Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex. The opening title song 'Inner Universe' alone is worth watching the series for; Major Motoko Kusanagi, the leader of a futuristic counter-terrorism/counter-cyber-terrorism team is the other reason. Imagine a combination of Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami from Evangelion in sexy cyborg techno-ninja form and you will have the Major. In fact, if you want to read a Ghost in the Shell/Evangelion crossover with Motoko and Rei, read 'The Recruit' by A. Amishi on FFN._

_As to the contest regarding the reasons for my delay in posting the last chapter, I made a list of possible reason for not doing so, with five actual reasons, and none of the above and an all of the above answers. So in the end, the answer is… ALL of the above reasons! Yes, that month I was sick, _shooting at the range,_ playing video games, dealing with city inspectors and trying not to fall sleep before I write (not all at the same time, natch). BTW, I found that chocolate covered espresso beans actually work to keep me awake if I eat enough of them – not recommended to people without an extreme caffeine tolerance like I have. However, little baggies of choco-espresso beans go to Chaosweaver6139 (I put poor Wrex in the ME pink armor as well since it had a high rating, at least until I scrounged up better armor), and Lazruth (while I shoot a lot compared to most people, I don't shoot THAT much - finances limit me)._

_New question – while I was at AX I had a drawing done to go with the story (there was an Artist Alley in the dealer hall, and various amateur artists were selling their work). The drawing can be found under my name (GreydonCreed) at photo()bucket (dotcom)(foward slash) ContractLaborFic (take the spaces and parenthesis out of that link to make it work) and it is of Motoko alone in her room after leaving the Hinata Sou. What I want to know is if you guys like it and if so should I post it as the cover art for this story? (To all the Motoko lovers out there, the next chapter is going to be mostly about her.) Also, should I commission more work? I don't think I can order anything too fancy from the artist, but I may be able to get one done of Keitaro, Miyuki, and Natsumi together (not like that, perverts!)._

_As I just said, the next chapter will be Motoko-centric. The chapter after that will be the start of the Thailand/Roanapur flashbacks._

_Thanks again to AZ MII and PCH for their help in beta-ing this chapter._

_Winner for the most unusual place to read my story this month goes to the lonely soul in Cuba. Runner up is Singapore, which is kinda surprising given its moral reputation, but hey, at least 13 different people read the early version of this chapter, and 137 people read the story in the last couple months (early June to mid July)._

_As of 0300 15Jul2012 this story had 253,825 hits, 448 Reviews,51 C2 Listings, 638 Favorite Listings, and 570 Story Alerts. _

_As you may have noticed, besides the FFN Lemon Scare of 2012 (I remember the Great Lemon Purge of '02, where some of my Adult-rated fics were dropped from the site) you can now see how many reviews, favorites and alerts a story has on its category page on FFN. My new goal is to pass one thousand on each of those before too long, and I am confident that I will do so thanks to you fine readers._

_One last thing. *clears throat, starts singing slightly off key*. **Happy Birthday to you, _Happy Birthday to you_, _Happy Birthday Contract Labor, _Happy Birthday to you_._**_ Yes, this story is now one year old._  
><em>

_Thanks again for reading, guys.*victory sign*_


	35. Chapter 35

Ch 35 - Motoko's Interlude

V 1.0_  
><em>

_A/N 1 – If you did not read the second part of Ch 34, posted July 15, go back and read it now. I also asked some questions as part of the A/Ns there that I want like to hear your responses to._

_Akihabara District  
>Tokyo, Japan<br>December 24  
>Early Evening<em>

Many foreigners were surprised to find out that while the Japanese did celebrate the Christmas holidays, they did so in a different manner than it was in the West. For one thing, considering that most of the Japanese population was either of a non-Christian faith or agnostic or atheist in their personal beliefs, they generally left the religious aspects of the holidays out. This not only applied to Christmas, but to Valentine's Day, which along with its counterpart White Day were celebrated in Japan by giving chocolate to friends, co-workers, and romantic interests, much to the delight of the confectionary and candy industries.

Americans who traveled in Japan during the Christmas season were usually surprised to see what was associated with the holiday season. Turkey dinners were not that common in Japan; however, going to Kentucky Fried Chicken to celebrate the holidays was. Eggnog was not common, but white sponge cake decorated with cream and strawberries was (thus bringing about the infamous joke regarding Christmas Cake and single women – neither was in great demand after the 25th). Nativity scenes were generally not seen outside of Christian churches, but Santa Claus was ubiquitous in his presence… or her presence as it were.

Motoko was walking along with the flow of pedestrians as crowds of window-shoppers made their way through the electronic mecca that was Akihabara. If it played music, showed video, or could be hooked up to the internet, it could be found in Akihabara. Over the pedestrians' heads, giant multicolored signs flashed brand logos and advertisements to almost every product known to man, coming only second to the signs in the Ginza, which could beat the Las Vegas Strip hands down. In the smaller stores were racks, shelves and tables of anime, manga, models and toys, both for children and adults.

Walking at a pace that was slower than the crowd around her, Motoko watched as people swirled around her as they walked past, as though she was a boulder in a stream. Such a comparison would have previously pleased the young woman, but not now.

Making sure her bag was securely grasped and hooked to her shoulder, Motoko looked down in some distaste at the clothing she was wearing… or costume to be more accurate. Not wanting to be dependent on her sister's financial support, she worked whatever odd jobs she could schedule around school and her primary job. Since it was the Christmas season, she was able to get a weekend job as a bell ringer and doorperson to a bakery that was specializing in Christmas cakes. The job required that Motoko be dressed in a female version of a Santa suit, one that was a bit more risqué than one would expect Saint Nicholas to be dressed in.

The long sleeved coat was red velvet, trimmed in white fake fur, and belted at the waist with a wide black leather belt with a large silver buckle. This female version of the suit however had a plunging neckline, almost past the valley of her breasts, which was concealed by a white lace camisole. The snug skirt was red velvet with white trim as well, but it was cut high on the thigh, high enough that the lace tops of her white stockings could be seen. Thankfully, the black patent leather shoes with silver buckles were relatively comfortable; she would not have been able to withstand standing on heels for four hours while standing on the sidewalk ringing a handbell, crying out the name of the bakery with what was probably the falsest smile imaginable on her face. Of course this was all topped off by a red velvet stocking hat, complete with white pom-pom. The hat kept the fringe of her chin length hair off her forehead, except for the two long tendrils that framed her face. All in all, it made for a very sexy appearance, if it were not for the standoffish look on the tall dark haired girl's face. In fact, Motoko probably would not have wanted to be caught dead dressed like this, but one of her roommates at her new rooming house who was originally slated to take the job had fallen ill, and Motoko could not afford to turn down the money offered.

Motoko would have changed into regular street clothes after she was done with her shift at the bakery, but she was almost running late for her regular job and she had her suspicions regarding how secure the restroom in the bakery was against the prying eyes of the other temporary bakery workers, and she did not have time to go to her rooming house to change. So after packing up her sensible knee length navy skirt and tan blouse in her oversized shoulder bag, she said good bye to the overworked _oba-san_ who was the owner of the bakery, who quickly paid her in cash for the four hours of work she did that day. Four thousand yen was not a lot, but it would keep her stocked in dry rice and instant ramen cups for a while.

For a moment Motoko had a feeling of sadness wash over her, remembering Shinobu's sumptuous meals at the Sou, but with a mental shake, she drove the memory from her mind. Given everything that had happened to her fairly recently, the only way she could keep herself from being a broken mess was to keep from thinking about certain matters. It was certainly not the healthiest way to deal with it, but it was not as though she had a choice. Mediation did not work, as her temperament was such that it would not hold for long. There was one technique that did work to suppress emotions like fear and anger, but the _Divine State_, or battle trance as westerners knew it, was almost as difficult for an emotional person to achieve as a meditative calm - more difficult, as you were expected to think and react in battle whilst keeping an iron hand on your emotions. The only person that Motoko believed could probably achieve it was Kanako Urashima, if only because of her constant suppressed emotional state.

Glancing down at her wristwatch, Motoko picked up the pace. She had only five minutes to reach her destination, and with the crowds around her, she was going to need every minute. Walking in Tokyo was not for the weak-willed or the timid. There was a modicum of politeness amongst pedestrians, but only in if their way was not blocked, otherwise you were just an obstacle to overcome.

Truth to tell, Motoko almost preferred having to work instead of staying at her rented room in the boarding house. Her stay at her sister's friend's house had only been temporary, and the new room that she paid for took over half her monthly allowance. Since meals were not included at her new lodgings, Motoko had to learn the hard way how to cook simple, somewhat nutritious yet bland tasting food to keep within her budget. White boiled rice with some vegetables made up the majority of her meals, mixed with tins of cooked fish and spam to make _onigiri_ rice balls. She would cook three times a week in the boarding house kitchen, keeping an eye on her food while reading her school books, eat some of the food once it was done, and then wrap and package the rest for school lunches. Instant ramen cups were used to supplement her meals, especially when the _onigiri_ balls were cold, and she usually had enough money left over at the end of the week to splurge on a sit down meal at a family restaurant.

One thing that Motoko was not able to give up on was training. She had been training in the martial arts since before she could fully walk, and even being disallowed from her family school could not stop her urge for physical training. Instead of sword drills and _kata_, she now did mostly the hand to hand training she had learned mostly as part of the disarmed drills she had previously learned, since those techniques were not proprietary to her family school. Given that school started at eight in the morning, Motoko would get up at six and do her endurance training – stretches, one hundred weighed sit-ups with her school bag on her chest, one hundred inclined push-ups with her feet on steps higher than her shoulders, and then running. Granted, she did her runs in running shorts and shoes now instead of padded slippers and _hakama_ like before, so it surprised her how fast she could run now, much to her chagrin.

She had decided to go to the high school track one weekend since she could not run flat out in an urban environment, and to her shock, and the spectators as well, she was blowing everyone away when she was sprinting. One of the other runners had timed her as she did her sustained sprints, and she had come close to a six minute mile, and a thirteen second hundred meter sprint from a standing start without blocks! What was worse was that the school track coach had found out about her running and almost drafted her on the spot for the school team. The only way Motoko had been able to get out of it was to insist that she *had* to work after school and would not be able to train. When the coach started sputter, Motoko simply turned and walked away. After that, she simply did fast jogs in the morning around her neighborhood and reserved her sprints for early on weekends, when no one else was around to ogle her.

That was the other problem Motoko had in her new life, how much attention she received. Since she was now out in public more and was not wearing her training _gi_ and _hakama_, she had to wear normal clothes. She could not pull a Rei Ayanami and simply wear her school uniform everywhere, so Motoko had to buy regular clothes to wear. She tried to keep it as simple as possible with slacks, blouses and long skirts, but to her dismay she was still attracting attention, both male and female. The lustful looks on male faces she was used to, however unpleasant it was, but to see envy on the faces of female faces was new to her. Her hair was kept short and neat except for the tendrils, she wore no makeup except for lip gloss to keep her lips from chapping, and still people looked at her as though she had just stepped off a magazine cover. Part of it was due to her height, which was at a minimum a full head taller than most girls her age, but she was almost half a head taller than most young males as well. Girls would walk to her and ask what designer clothes she was wearing (she was wearing off the rack brands) and guys would come up and use the most inept and insulting pick up lines on her. When Motoko turned to walk away from them, sometimes they would try and grab her arm or shoulder, which they quickly learned was a really *bad* idea.

Soon after leaving the Hinata Sou, a disgusting male had tried to grope her on a train. After overcoming her momentary shock, with anger welling up in her she reached for a _boken_ that was no longer there. As she froze for a second, the groper thought she had locked up in panic and he started to move his hand down her hip toward her skirt hem.

In that eternal moment, where her family orders conflicted with her now blazing temper, Motoko came up with a new course of action. Reaching down with her opposite hand and grasping his wrist, she pulled his arm around and transitioned from a wrist lock to a full arm bar and cranked it to where the pervert was standing on his toes trying to get away from the pain. Looking around and seeing that no one was willing or able to help her, and not wanting the deviant to get away unpunished, Motoko took one step forward and drove the man face first full force into the window of the sliding train door. The glass held as she slammed him three times, but his nose did not, spurting blood as it was crushed and he was knocked out.

Watching the groper slide down the door to the floor, leaving a thick trail of blood and mucus on the glass, Motoko turned and looked again at her fellow passengers. She could see fear and dismay now on the faces of some of the males and respect on the faces of some of the females. Silently giving the crowd a glare for standing there and doing nothing, as soon as the train pulled into the station she stepped over the unconscious miscreant and onto the station platform, disappearing into the crowd. There had been a brief mention on the TV news that night that a man with previous convictions for groping and sexual assault had been found beaten up and unconscious on a train, but no description of any possible suspect was given. Motoko made sure to stay away from that particular train line for a while, but since she had been job hunting that day in an area she was normally not in, it was not a great difficulty. Since then she had been accosted on trains on occasion, but instead of being obvious about it Motoko now left a trail of broken fingers and wrists to convince the perverts that they had picked the wrong woman to molest.

The problem with finding a new way to defend herself from being groped was she was not allowed to use it to its full extent at her regular job. The first time she had pulled a pervert's arm out in preparation for breaking his wrist after his hand landed on her butt, her boss was instantly behind her peeling her hand off his arm. After tossing the guy out of the shop, her boss pulled her into the back room and quietly told her that some 'customer contact' was expected and Motoko could let it go as far as she was comfortable with and reap the financial rewards that went with it, but that no lasting or permanent injury could be inflicted in retaliation on the customers. Otherwise, it would result in official police attention that neither the customers or employees wanted to get involved in. After staring at the woman's serious face for a long moment, Motoko nodded stiffly and went back to work. She would act coldly but correctly toward customers, pull hands off of her and throwing them back at them, and yet she got some of the biggest tips of the staff.

Walking through the door of Café Touch-And-Go!, Motoko could see that business was running at a decent pace, but not at insanity levels the way it did some weekends. Looking around, she could see only one other waitress working the tables while her boss was filling orders at the counter as fast as she could.

"Motoko-chan! Thank goodness you're here! Get changed and get to work!" Kotoko Yamada called out, relief audible in her voice. "Unless you want to work as Missus Claus tonight?"

"I don't think so, Kotoko-san," Motoko replied as she strode into the back room. A combination store and change room, she was careful to make sure the door was locked before starting to quickly undress. Removing and folding all her clothes and underwear and putting them in her locker, she pulled out her waitress outfit and reluctantly started to put it on.

First on was the black one piece swim suit, resembling a school swim suit but cut so high on the hips that Motoko had to do more 'personal grooming' than she was comfortable with. The scoop neck top plunged low enough that if it had not been for the built-in bra, she would have legitimate concerns about her breasts popping out of her top when she bent forward. Next came a black mid-thigh length ruffled skirt with white lace on the hem, the waistband low on her hips. After that was a black ruffled cropped top that went over her chest with white lacy trim that still exposed her cleavage, then a small white lace apron that tied in the back. A white lace tiara hair band went on top of her head, which did little to keep her fringe out of her eyes. White wrist cuffs went on her otherwise bare arms. Finally she slipped into medium heeled shoes that made her look even taller. Glancing at the full-length mirror she made a face at herself; she looked exactly like a cosplay girl. "All that's missing are the cat ears and tail," Motoko muttered to herself.

"That's not such a bad idea. Maybe we can do a theme night around it." With a start, Motoko spun around to see that Kotoko was in the room with her, leaning back against the door, arms crossed and smirking.

"How long have you been standing there?" There was a lot of background noise from the café, but Motoko still should have been heard *something*.

"Long enough to see you make faces at the mirror. You have to get over the fact that you are pretty damn hot, Motoko-chan." The young woman stood up straight and let her arms drop to her sides, but the smirk still stayed on her face. "Get going! Ran has been working alone for the last hour and she needs to take her break!"

Motoko did not reply as she walked past the older girl, even as she gave a swat at her bottom. Her relationship with her boss was unusual in that she would say things that would have sent her storming out if it had been from a male. In fact, that was how Kotoko hired her to begin with, Motoko had angrily left a new waitressing job where her manager turned out to be a letch. The dark haired girl had been stalking down the sidewalk when a hand grabbed her. Spinning around, Motoko had been ready to lay into another pervert when she saw that it was a spiky brown haired girl not that much older than she was. After rather obviously eying her up and down through rectangular eyeglasses, she abruptly asked if she had any waitressing experience. Motoko told the truth; she had less than a week's experience before leaving her last job. An unholy smile broke across the other girl's face before she started to drag her toward a nearby shop despite her objections.

Taking her into the back room, the other girl pulled out an outfit and passed it to her. Motoko started to protest, saying she was a student and could not work full hours, which rolled off the other girl's back like water off a duck. It was not until the girl mentioned that the job paid 1500 yen an hour plus tips that Motoko started to change her mind. She nearly left again however when she saw that the outfit she was expected to wear was a maid's uniform.

After much arguing Motoko was finally dressed up in the outfit, standing uncomfortably as she tugged at her lacy collar. This outfit was the more traditional uniform worn by servants, made of black cotton with a button up lace collar, long sleeves with lace cuffs, a knee length skirt, a white lacy apron and a white lace tiara hair band. It was nothing compared to the costume she would later wear, but at that moment Motoko felt rather silly. It was not until Kotoko, as the girl introduced herself as, trained her as a server and waitress and she started to make money working two part-time shifts weeknights and two shifts on weekends that she began to loosen up. This did not prepare her for what else happened in the café.

As silly as Motoko looked in the maid uniform, that was nothing compared to the other employees. Wearing the skin-tight and skin-baring version of the maid outfit, the other waitresses would giggle and lightly slap at customers that did things that Motoko would have twisted them into a pretzel for. Pink haired Sakura was always competing with her blonde friend Ino as to who would get the most tips, come-ons, and phone numbers. Ran, the last waitress, made them look like shy schoolgirls though. The busty redhead would initiate contact with customers, touching their arms, leaning forward and smiling, putting an extra sway in her stride when she knew she was being watched. Ran was the only one that Motoko was sure would date customers, since she made no secret of it. In fact, she would regularly show off the various gifts she received from her dates.

Motoko had previously heard of _enjo kosai_, compensated dating, but this was the first time she had actually seen it in action. It was not prostitution per se, but younger girls would go out with older men to dinner, karaoke bars, and the like, and be paid for their time with either cash or gifts. Anything else beyond that was between the man and the girl. Most of the customers in Kotoko's shop were boys of high school age, but there were older males, salarymen, that would spend time there too, flirting with the waitresses. It was mostly these men that Ran would be extra friendly with, although the other waitresses would do so as well.

None of this happened with Motoko at first, since her full maid costume marked her as a trainee waitress at the café. Boys would ask for her phone number and ask her out on dates, but she would politely yet coolly refuse and keep on working. It was not until two weeks of work had passed that Kotoko had produced one of the swimsuit based costumes for her to wear. Motoko was extremely reluctant to wear the revealing clothing, but the manager had convinced her to try it at least one night. Unfortunately that night had been one where a new OVA movie from a popular anime had been released in Akihabara and Café Touch-And-Go! had been overrun with _otaku_.

Thankfully, no one tried to grope her that night; Motoko would have reacted badly and even with her speed Kotoko probably would not have been able to stop her. However, the store had been filled with teenaged males, most of whom were sitting there watching the waitresses and drooling. This would have driven a less experienced Motoko over the edge, but having almost two months of experience being leered at and feeling dirty and oily _chi_ auras as a result allowed her to keep her temper under control. Of course that did not help when she had first walked up to a table full of slobbering _otaku_ and given her customary brisk bow and greeting; her breasts had almost popped out of her top. It was only because she had adjusted the swimsuit to be secure around her chest that an accident had not occurred, but she had still felt her breasts shift. Mortified, Motoko was able to take the orders and walked back to the counter area, where the manager had been watching the entire encounter occur. Kotoko did not say anything when her blushing employee handed her the order; all she did was grin and give her a thumbs up.

After that baptism by fire, Motoko's job got to be more bearable. Granted now that she was in the revealing outfit more guys hit on her, but Motoko kept refusing, politely but barely so. Oddly enough, her tips remained at about the same level as the other waitresses, even though they would actively flirt back with customers. Motoko actually had some admirers, men and boys that would sit in her area and even when she would refuse their advances, keep coming back for more. When Motoko had wondered aloud about it one night after the café had closed and they were cleaning up, the other waitresses had had a good laugh at her expense. As a chuckling Kotoko had explained it, they all fit into certain stereotypes – Sakura and Ino were the girls-next-door, Ran was the good-time party girl, Kotoko was the motherly type, and Motoko was the _tsundere_ girl of the group. Given how deeply Motoko had blushed at that revelation, the other girls had burst out laughing again.

As time had gone on, Motoko had realized that Kotoko really did fill the niche of mother for their little group. To her surprise, Motoko was the youngest of the girls working at the café, with Sakura and Ino being recent high school graduates and Ran a couple years older than that. Kotoko was twenty-two years old, and to Motoko's shock was not just the café manager, but the owner as well. Even without any college education, the older girl did all the administrative and logistical duties herself, with just a part-time bookkeeper to help keep track of things. Yet with all this work, the spiky haired girl was still enjoying herself, even if she was working at a minimum twelve hour days six days a week.

* * *

><p>Later that evening after the café closed and the two were alone (the two younger girls left early to spend time with their families, and Ran had a date) out of curiosity Motoko had asked her boss how it came to be that she was a business owner at so young an age, and she almost regretted doing so. Apparently Kotoko had been disowned by her family for refusing to marry a man that they had picked out for her once she had graduated high school. She had some money saved from a waitressing job she had while in school, and that had been enough to help her stay afloat for a short while. However the money did not last for long, and Kotoko had started to 'date' customers from her waitressing job for 'financial considerations' to make ends meet.<p>

By the end of her first year on her own, Kotoko was seeing two different salarymen regularly, plus whatever customer caught her eye. All this meant that she was essentially working another job, only this one required her to be horizontal more often than not. But then her luck had broken in her favor. She had met an older gentleman and businessman who did not immediately try to get into her panties; Toshiro Ishida would come in during the slow times of the café she worked at, toss a monogrammed money clip full of folded bills toward the manager, and then invite Kotoko to have tea with him. They would spend hours talking about various things; current events, financial affairs, and even the business climate. While Kotoko did not have much education, she did have a head for numbers and impressed the old man with her insight. By the time business would start to pick up again, the manager would drop off the now empty money clip and walk away without a word. Toshiro would then stand up, leave an amount of money that was effectively a full day's pay on the table, and after saying good bye would leave.

Kotoko had been mystified by the silver-haired old man. Even after a month had gone by where he would come in twice a week, he would never ask for her phone number or ask if she would come with him to a love hotel like every other man she had met on the job, including her manager, whom she 'dated' every couple weeks or so to keep her job. After thinking about it for a while, she finally decided that the old man was simply lonely for an emotional connection with another person, something that was almost impossible to buy. Sure, he would pay her manager for her time on the job, and 'tip' her so she would not lose money during the time she was with him, but this was almost like being a geisha of old.

Kotoko and Toshiro continued their friendly yet odd relationship for six months, until finally in the depths of winter he had stopped coming. Kotoko was concerned at first, thinking that he had taken ill. But after two weeks since the last visit, when Kotoko was starting to think that it was more than illness, her fears were confirmed. A man identifying himself as an attorney for a mid-sized law firm showed up one morning and asked for Kotoko by name. When her manager started to object, the attorney produced a familiar monogrammed money clip and showed it to the manager, who instantly backed off. After being calling over, a confused Kotoko was asked to show up the next day at the law firm he worked for, as there were some legal affairs that needed to be dealt with, although she was not in trouble. The attorney stated that everything should be done with by the time Kotoko had to report to work that following day.

The next day, feeling underdressed in her shabby business type clothing, Kotoko arrived at the law firm five minutes early and was escorted to a conference room. There was the attorney from the day before, as well as an older man that looked to be his superior. After everyone gave their names, they all sat down and the older man started to speak.

Apparently, Toshiro Ishida recently passed away. He had been in the end stages of pancreatic cancer and refused to spend his final days in the sterile environs of a hospital, instead quietly passing on at home. He had been the retired CFO of a major electronics conglomerate, and while he did have family, he had already arranged for them to be taken care of. Now he had wanted his waitress friend to be taken care of as well. Kotoko had stiffened at that pronouncement, but the older attorney had hurried to state that he had known Toshiro personally and knew that Kotoko's relationship with him had been strictly platonic.

As a means of thanks for, in Toshiro's own words 'befriending a lonely old man,' he was giving Kotoko a choice. She could either receive a lump sum of money or his estate could help her set up a business of her own. The legal firm would assist her in this endeavor, but she had to make up her mind on her own without knowing the amount of money involved.

Thinking back to their conversations, Kotoko had talked about her dream of setting up her own business and the two of them talked about the requirements and the difficulties to do so. It only took her a few moments to make the decision to go with the business set up. After telling the waiting attorneys her choice, both men smiled, the older one widely and the younger one ruefully. Seeing the confusion on her face, the older attorney told her that he had thought she would go with the business set up while the younger one had thought that due to her lack of business education and experience she would go for the lump sum.

Producing a set of legal documents, the lawyers walked her through them. It was not until they got to the middle of the documents that she saw the money involved; Toshiro had set up a line of credit to be paid for from his estate with a maximum limit of 250 million yen (USD 2.5 million). When a dazed Kotoko asked how much she would have gotten if she had asked for the lump sum, the older attorney told her it would have been a total of 50 million yen cash (USD 500 thousand).

After everything was signed, Kotoko was handed a handwritten letter from Toshiro. In it he apologized for hiding the amounts involved, stating that he wanted someone who had started at the bottom, willing to run a risk and willing to work hard to get ahead in life to get the money. He stated that while his daughters and their children were taken care off (his wife having passed on long ago) he wanted his family legacy of hard work to continue.

Taking some time to collect herself, Kotoko was about to leave when the younger attorney handed her one last envelope, containing a check for five million yen (USD 50 thousand). When she gave him a questioning look, he stated that it was to cover her expenses until she got her new business going. With that Kotoko smiled; now she would be able to give her notice at her job and start working toward her new business.

After a lot of sweat and stress, a few months later Kotoko was able to get her Akihabara café going. At first it was just a regular café with waitresses in short frilly pastel dresses, but there had been a glut of those kind of cafes in the district, and she was barely able to stay afloat. It was not until she started concentrating on the _otaku_ demographic that her business increased. Maid cafes were somewhat common as well, but once she came up with her 'super sexy maid-chan!' outfits, traffic skyrocketed. But the one thing Kotoko always kept in mind was what it was like to be a waitress hustling for money. That is why she had a _laissez-faire_ attitude toward her employees' extracurricular activities, so long as it was not a threat toward her employee's safety or caused problems for her business.

* * *

><p>Kotoko had finally finished telling her story as she and Motoko were cleaning up. The younger girl was finishing stacking chairs in preparation for the floor to be mopped and the manager had finished tallying up the day's receipts from the register.<p>

"Ano… do all of the girls go out with customers? Including Ino-chan and Sakura-chan?" While the two younger girls played around with the customers, Motoko did not know how far they went.

"Not that often. They usually go out together to make sure nothing bad happens. The customers don't complain though. Kinda surprises them when they get the two for one deal, though." Kotoko looked up from the register she had just finished counting and smiled at the thought of a man's reaction to getting two cute girls at the same time . "Ran-chan is more into the money, so she's willing to do more things, but with older men."

"What about you, Kotoko-san? Do you date customers anymore?" Motoko was shocked to hear herself ask that question, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Kotoko hummed to herself. "Not really. At least not for 'assistance' anymore. It's usually because I have an itch that needs to be scratched. Problem is finding the right kind of person to help me with that."

"Right kind of person?" Motoko asked doubtfully. With her limited experience with men, she had an inkling as to what her boss was referring to, but barely.

"Yeah, the right kind of person. You can be with different kinds of people, but when you are with the right kind of person, it makes things *so* much better." Kotoko brushed past her to go and check on the front door to make sure it was locked, then returned to pick up the till from the register. "Let's go, Motoko-chan, time to turn the lights out." With that, Kotoko turned off the overhead lights, leaving on a solitary ceiling light and the string of Christmas lights on in the window. It was late Christmas Eve night, which meant that the café would be closed for business the next day.

Following her boss into the storeroom, Motoko watched as the till was stored in a locked steel cabinet , with the day's proceeds to be held by the manager in a small locking canvas bag until she deposited them the next day at the bank. She would take the bag with her to her small apartment on the second floor above the café and go out first thing in the morning.

"So Motoko-chan, you have plans for this evening?" Tossing the money bag on the table, Kotoko started undoing her maid costume, first pulling off the wrist cuffs and the tiara head band, then taking off the ruffled top and skirt, leaving her in just the swimsuit and the heeled shoes they all wore. The non-soiled items were placed in her locker, while the dirty items went into the laundry bag. The shoes were carefully pulled off and stowed in the locker; kicking polished shoes into a locker was a big no-no.

"I was going to go to my boarding house and study some more. We are in the midst of a difficult section at school." That was a lie; Motoko had already covered the section, but that sounded better that saying you were alone for the holidays. Even her new-found friend at the boarding house was likely to be dead drunk on watermelon sake. As she spoke Motoko started to remove her costume as well; changing in front of another woman did not bother her too much, although she did make sure she was turned away so as to not see too much. Not that it was easy to avoid looking at Kotoko; the older girl was totally unselfconscious about being seen unclothed, with a figure that was close to that of her former housemate Naru Narusegawa.

"I have an idea, Motoko-chan. Why don't you spend the night here with me? It's a little too late for you to be going home alone on the train, and I have a spare futon you can use. Since the café is going to be closed tomorrow, we can stay up late and watch some videos I've been meaning to catch up on." Motoko was facing toward her open locker, so she did not see her boss coming up behind her.

"I don't want to be a bother, Kotoko-san." In fact, it did not sound like a bad idea, since Motoko would wind up fending off drunken partiers on the train home, only to have to spend the holiday night in a cold room by herself. That was one of the things that she could barely even now admit to herself, how much she missed the company of her former roommates. Even being away from her family did not sting like her missing the tenants of the Hinata-sou.

"You won't be a bother, Motoko-chan. In fact, it will let me give you my Christmas present without everyone around."

Motoko could hear her boss standing right behind her. "But you already gave us our presents."

It was true. Before the other waitresses left, the manager had handed out red envelopes, each containing an extra full day's pay.

"Not like this."

Feeling a light touch on her shoulder, Motoko turned to see Kotoko standing right behind her. Three things immediately struck her; her swimsuit top was down around her waist leaving her bare-chested, her ever-present rectangular glasses were off, and her face was rapidly approaching hers. Anything the younger girl would have said was cut off by the feel of soft lips pressing up against hers.

_Girl lips…_

_Were so soft…_

After an eternal moment, as Motoko stood there in shock, she could feel her mouth being parted by the other girl's lips and the tip of her tongue start to explore. As she did so, she could taste the cherry lip gloss Kotoko was wearing, then she felt the tongue plunge deeper into her, rubbing up and against her own tongue. The sensations produced were so overwhelming that Motoko almost did not feel the older girl press her bare chest against her own swimsuit clad one.

With an explosive breath, Motoko pulled back and away, her back slamming into the locker behind her. Gasping heavily, she stared at Kotoko, who was merely looking back at her with a soft smile on her face.

"What… why…" Her thoughts were in a jumble, she could not even ask the most basic question. Those racing thoughts did not take her attention away from the fact that she could still taste Kotoko's lips on hers.

"You know, with 'who', 'when', and 'where', you would have all the elements for a story. The 'how' and the 'what' I'm pretty sure you know by now." Kotoko stood still as she talked, but she was within arm's reach of Motoko, who was still pressing back against the lockers. "So I guess you want to know 'why'?" Motoko nodded. "Because you are a very attractive girl, and I like you, and I want to get closer to you."

"But why me? You're a woman… I'm a woman! I thought you were into men!" Motoko was stammering as she spoke as her world view swirled about her, having taken several hits in short order; that a female would be doing what she would normally consider perverted, that a female that had only recently been talking about having physical liaisons with men was now trying to have one with her - she knew about lesbians of course, but had never really thought about them, and that such a female found her attractive.

"I *prefer* men, but sometimes I want to be with someone strong and sure, but still soft and beautiful." Kotoko put a hand on the locker beside's Motoko's head, and leaned forward, stopping only when her face was a breath away from her. "I am very attracted to you, Motoko-chan, and I can feel how lonely you are. Let me closer, let me warm you up, at least for tonight." The older girl looked at Motoko's wide eyes for a long moment before slowly leaning in again, giving her the chance to move away, an opportunity that the younger girl did not take.

Feeling her soft lips against hers, Motoko gave a soft whimper. Slowly parting her own lips, she could taste Kotoko again, and in short order felt the other girl pressed up against her body full length. As hands ran down her sides to her butt, she gave a gasp as the hands clenched on the firm muscle they found. With a shiver she pressed forward, moving away from the lockers and her own arms moving upwards, her hands winding up on the older girl's waist. Breaking the kiss, Motoko whispered two words. "Now what?"

"Now we go upstairs to my apartment, unless you want to stay here in the storeroom." The half smile on Kotoko's face was both lazy and hungry at the same time.

Motoko gave a short jerky nod. "Upstairs." She could feel heat from the girl's bare skin pass through her flimsy bathing suit, and suddenly she wanted more – much more. Moving her hand down to Kotoko's, they stepped away from the lockers and headed for the doorway leading to the stairs up to the apartment above.

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – Posting a half completed chapter at the end of last June turned out to be a total clusterf**k. What I did not realize at the time is that there was no way of sending you guys a new alert regarding the update without doing things there were technical violations of FFN site rules. So no more partials, and I need to reapply my nose to the grindstone; I remember when I was posting two updates a week. There is no way I can't post an update every couple weeks and still have time to do stuff like, oh sleep… and eat… and shoot every once in a while. *grin*_

_As you can see, the moral corruption of Motoko (formerly Aoyama) has begun! *grin* I know this is kind of a dumb question, but do you want me to continue with it, i.e. do a lemon chapter of Motoko and Kotoko together? Or should I do another lemon chapter with Keitaro, Natsumi, and Miyuki?_

_For the more knowledgeable readers out there, they will recognize Kotoko and her sexy maid café from the ecchi manga Love Comedy Style by Masashi Yanagi. I did expand the setting and Kotoko's background myself, as the manga had only Kotoko working with the main character in the story and it did not go into great detail._

_As I mentioned last chapter, at Anime Expo I was finally exposed to the greatness that is **Ghost in the Shell**, especially its lead character Motoko Kusanagi and it's great opening theme song, **Inner Universe**. To the Russian readers out there who have heard the song (if any of you haven't heard the song, shame on you – go to YouTube right now and do so!), does hearing the song sung in English, Russian and Latin and understanding it make it even better? I know what they are saying since I looked up the lyrics at AnimeLyrics, but still… This series is also one of the inspirations for the movie **The Matrix**._

_Also mentioned last chapter was the drawing I had commissioned (and paid for) of Motoko set in the Contract Labor story. Please let me know what you think of the picture and if I should get more, and of what subjects._

_Winner of the most unusual place to read my story this last chapter is Hungary (I don't think I have seen them listed before now). Runner up is Kazakhstan, which I think I have seen listed previously. I am running out of unusual places to have read my story (I have readers on every continent and almost every civilized/Internetted nation! Bahahahah!), so unless I have someone confirm they are reading my story on the International Space Station or North Korea or Vatican City (come to think of it, I don't know which of the last two would surprise me more), I may have think of something else._

_Thanks go to ThreadWeaver of TFF, AZ MII and PCH for their assistance in beta-ing this chapter. Credit for the name of the café goes to AZ._

_As of 01Aug12 0115 PDT this story has 260,358 Views, 451 Reviews, 51 C2 Listings, 649 Favorite Listings, and 584 Story Alerts. Thanks again guys. *gives peace sign*_


	36. Chapter 36

Ch 36

V 1.0

_A/N 1 – I was not able to write the Motoko/Kotoko lemon like I wanted to, but I did make the first part of this chapter extra limey (yet within site guidelines) for your reading pleasure._

* * *

><p>Motoko Interlude - <em><br>_Part Two

_Café Touch-And-Go!  
>Private Living Quarters,<br>Akihabara District  
>Tokyo, Japan<br>December 25  
>early morning<br>(almost four months after story start)_

Coldness was now a constant part of her life now. So why was she feeling so warm?

The futon that Motoko was used to sleeping on was not of the best quality. The cotton cover was already threadbare even though it was only a couple months old, it was lumpy, and if your face was right against it, the smell of camphor was apparent. The pillow that went with it was thin and made of foam, and covered in a cheap cotton slipcase.

However, the futon she was on right now had a satin cover on it with a light floral scent to it, the pillow was both fluffy and solid, and her arm was on top of something that felt smooth, and warm and moving up and down slightly.

Her eyes slightly open, all Motoko could see was short brown hair in front of her. Not fully up to speed upon waking, the former swordswoman calmly wondered why there was hair of that color in front of her face. It looked like the hair was still attached to someone's head, which mean that someone else was in the futon with her.

_Someone…_

_With short brown hair…_

_Was laying on the same futon as her…_

After Motoko did a quick check with her hands on both her body and the other person, she was able to add one more observation to the above statement.

…_And they were both naked._

Even as her body tried to initialize it's fight-or-flight response, Motoko kept still. Contrary to what some people would think, she had previously woken up with other people in her futon, but in those cases it had always been Kaolla Su in bed with her, latched on like a blonde limpet in an attempt to keep bad dreams away. This was the first time she had awoken with an adult in bed with her.

She could not remember how she wound up in some strange man's bed, but as soon as she could safely extricate herself, she would go looking for a _bokken_ and damn what her family would say! But first, she had to get her arm away from the grasp of the other person, who was holding her hand against their stomach.

After a couple of slight tugs Motoko's hand stayed where it was, the other person's grasp was too strong. She knew she could break free in a heartbeat if she used technique and more strength in the movement, but the other person was apparently asleep and Motoko wanted to keep it that way.

Twisting and pulling did little to help free her trapped arm. It was only when a despairing Motoko started to wonder if it were really practical to do what she had overheard some customers talking about and chewing their arm off like a wolf with a paw caught in a steel trap that the choice was taken away from her.

"You're not thinking of doing something silly, are you Mo-chan?" Releasing the hold on her hand, the other person slowly turned to face her, revealing that it was Kotoko Yamada, her boss. Her light brown eyes blinked sleepily as she looked her subordinate in the face, their bodies so close that Motoko could feel bare breasts against her equally naked chest. "You know, like running away screaming?"

"I must admit, that did cross my mind." Staring into the other girl's lighter eyes was almost like a form of hypnosis. For some reason, Motoko was not panicking, not getting enraged at being taken advantage of, even if it was by another female and not by some lecherous male. In fact, there was a overwhelming sense of lassitude running through her body, making her very reluctant to move at all. It was very much like the so-called 'runner's high' she sometimes got after running long distances in her training. "What did you do to me? I've never felt like this, so… relaxed?" Motoko asked in some wonder and just a little fear. Surely she had not been drugged?

"I didn't do anything you didn't enjoy, Mo-chan. You were quite a bit sensitive at the beginning though." Kotoko gave a slight smirk as she looked at her bedmate. "It was making me wish that I had a bed instead of a futon, that way I could have tied your arms and legs to the bed posts to keep you from thrashing around."

To her dismay, memories of the night before began to surface in the younger girl's mind. Memories of soft lips exploring her blushing face, her throat, her aching nipples. Memories of gentle hands traveling her body, trailing from the graceful curve of her back down to her slender and defined waist, down past her rounded bottom to her long legs. Memories of long delicate fingers, stroking, caressing, lightly tugging and twisting, discovering and passing boundaries and borders unexplored by any other person. And finally, the memories of the sounds, the moans, the sharp cries, and finally the screaming that to her ultimate horror had come from her own throat.

The incipient train wreak that was about to take place in Motoko's mind suddenly disappeared as Kotoko's lips pressed firmly against hers, the tip of her tongue piercing the seal of her lips. Motoko could only moan and clutch onto the other girl as she plundered her mouth, leaving no corner unexplored.

Breaking away after a minute of concentrated osculation, the _ronin_ girl could only lay there as the older girl smirked at her again. "What sorcery is this?" Motoko gasped.

"It's called sex, Motoko-chan. Surely you've heard of it?" Kotoko left her face close to Motoko's, but otherwise just watched her, her hand softly stroking her lover's face.

"I know of sex for the purposes of reproduction, and for perversion, but nothing like this." Motoko had never really considered that sex was supposed to be pleasurable for both partners, just that it was a wife's duty to submit to her husband for the purpose for conceiving children.

Kotoko blink-blinked at her. "Come on, you can't seriously think that sex is just about guys getting off, do you? Why do you think girls are so into guys if they don't something out of it?"

"Because they are looking for husbands?" Motoko's response caused the older girl's head to fall back on the pillow.

"Gods, Mo-chan, you sound like you got your sex ed from your old spinster aunt! Even learning about sex in the locker rooms at school would teach you more than that!"

"Actually, it was my Great-aunt Naoko who instructed me on reproductive matters. The health and development classes at junior high school covered the rest."

Kotoko's eyes turned to look at the other girl while her head stayed in place on the pillow. "Your Great-aunt Naoko… by any chance, was she older, not married, looked and dressed very plainly, never had a life outside of work? Kind of nosey and into everyone's business weither they wanted her to be or not?"

"I would say that description was fairly accurate," Motoko allowed. She had never mentioned her background in the kendo arts and her family to anyone at her place of employment, so she had not talked about how Aunt Naoko was considered the clan busybody.

"You do realize that the closest your aunt has ever come to sex is when the bus she was on hit the speed bump too hard?" Kotoko could see the incomprehension in Motoko's eyes. "Your aunt just told you that guys want to stick it in and get off, and leave the girls behind and in trouble, right?"

"Not quite as crudely as that," Motoko muttered. Truth be told, Aunt Naoko's little speech to nine year old Motoko had lasted about ten minutes if that, and left her with more questions than answers. The technical information from health class did not help very much either. But seeing how boys treated girls in school and how perverted men took advantage of women on the street did lead to certain perceptions of the male members of the human species.

"And what did your spinster aunt tell you about same-sex relationships?" Kotoko casually asked… perhaps a bit too casually.

"Just that they had no place in the purpose of producing children and heirs for families." Great-aunt Naoko had actually gone into some detail on how same-sex sexual relations was almost as perverted as non-marriage sex, and in some cases worse as it distracted the people involved from their family duties. Little Motoko did not understand at the time why two men or two women would want to be together like that, as she could barely understand why a man and a woman would be together except for producing children. However, the glint in Kotoko's eyes gave Motoko a feeling that it would not be a good idea to go into detail about this, especially since Motoko had not really been concerned about such matters until recently. But in light of what happened between the two of them the night before, the _ronin_ girl knew that she could not afford to offend or anger the other female with some ill-thought-out remark.

Most of Motoko's anger against males and perversion came to the surface after her sister Tsuruko's marriage, which resulted in the heirship of the clan to pass to her. Her brother-in-law was some non-entity from a minor samurai family barely suitable to marry an Aoyama. The fact that the man was a salaryman barely competent to hold a _bokken_ correctly, let alone skillfully, was another black mark against him. But the straw that had broken the proverbial camel's back as it were was the night that Motoko had inadvertently seen the couple having sex. And it was not as though she had walked into their room and accidently seen them; Motoko had decided to take a late night bath at the _onsen_ at the family compound and thought the hot baths would be deserted at that hour. Apparently she had not been the only one to think that, as she had come upon her sister and brother-in-law already there, and too distracted to notice her.

From what little Motoko had learned in her sex ed instruction, she was only familiar with the standard position, and barely at that. So it was a shock to see her sister on her hands and knees on the floor of the _onsen_, her husband on his knees thrusting into her from behind. Yet this was nothing compared to the cries she had heard coming from Tsuruko, degrading demands for more, for faster, for harder. Up to that point Motoko had only seen her sister as someone to be admired and feared, but seeing her act as she imagined some common street trollop would had shook her to the core.

Motoko never told anyone what she had seen that night. She knew that if she had thrown what she had seen in her sister's face she would have reacted very badly. But the images did not go away, they would always surface in the back of her mind. So no matter that her respected sister and sword mistress was in front of her, the memories of her on her knees submissively begging for more always superimposed itself on her. This of course almost ruined her relations with her family, as the disgust and the revulsion those memories brought forward was not something she could let go. It was only when Motoko had left Kyoto and moved to the Hinata-sou that her relations with Tsuruko began to improve, especially since they were all over the phone. But in some corner of her mind, Motoko mourned the loss of the image of her beloved _aneue_, the tall, beautiful and proud sword-mistress and former heir of the Aoyama clan.

"Well, now you know that that is not entirely accurate, right Mo-chan?" Kotoko asked, the glint disappearing from her eyes. Leaning forward, she softly kissed her lover, not aggressively like before.

Motoko relaxed under her touch, not trying to pull away. The feelings this simple touch were producing were still surprising to her, as she had had very little positive physical touching in her life ever since she was a toddler. It even made the diminution of her name into something she did not mind, something that she had always been vehemently against. It had taken several rappings with _Shishu's_ sheath to break Kitsune Konno from the attempts to use her name that way when she lived at the Hinata-sou, but that had been the last of it, until now.

Now, just hearing the hated name come from Kotoko's lips made her insides heat up, a heat that was steadily increasing the longer the kiss went on. A heat that brought back more memories of what the two females had done the night before; Motoko laying on her back shivering and moaning as Kotoko had explored her body with fingers, lips and tongue. The high pitched cries and body spasms as her lover brought over the edge over and over again. The lower pitched moans from their last tryst, where the two were laying on their sides against each other, their tongues dueling pleasurably for dominance, her sensitive breasts rubbing against Kotoko's, their legs intertwined and their most sensitive parts pressed together, setting off an erotic explosion that not only caused Kotoko to finish along with her, it caused Motoko to pass out in a faint.

"What will we do now Ko…toko-san?" Motoko almost slipped and used a too familiar version of her lover's name, but given the smile on her face, she caught it regardless.

"Well, I was thinking that we could wash up and get some breakfast, then watch those videos we missed last night." Nuzzling the other girl's nose, she continued softly. "And I don't mind if you call me Ko-chan, at least if we're by ourselves. If the other girls hear you, you can expect some teasing about it though."

"Ko-chan…" Boldly, at least for her, Motoko moved forward and kissed her lover briefly before moving back, a blush still forming on her face. "That sounds like a good idea." Throwing back the light covers on their bodies, Motoko slowly came to her feet, her nude body the object of the older girl's unabashed gaze. The blush still on her face, Motoko turned and after finding the bathroom walked off and entered it. It was only until the sound of the water running in the shower came on that the smile on Kotoko's face slipped off, a slight frown appearing in its place, a frown tinged with sorrow. Shaking her head, Kotoko rolled to her feet and followed her lover into the washroom.

_end Motoko Interlude _

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>December 24  
>mid evening<br>(almost four months after story start)_

Noriyasu Seta was known as a noted archeologist and world traveler, especially in the countries and continents that bordered the Southern Pacific Ocean. Anywhere that there was a possibility of artifacts of the Turtle God civilization (which apparently had a wider reach than even the Polynesians), Seta had been there. Easter Island? Check. Australia? Check. Galapagos Islands with its giant turtles? Double check.

Of course, some of those places were not the most friendly of environs, and that was before its inhabitants were taken into account. Papua New Guinea and its headhunters? Check. East Timor during the late unpleasantness? Check. The Solomon Islands with its tons of unexploded ordinance from the Pacific War and the aptly named Iron Bottom Sound, littered with so many sunken ships and planes it threw magnetic compasses off? Check. Mindanao Island of the Philippines, which had the magic trifecta of Communist rebels, Moro Muslim rebels and various bandits and pirates? Double check again. And ironically, it had been in one of the lesser threatening countries, Thailand, where he had come closest to finally meeting his Maker.

However, not all of his travels had been so life-threatening. Seta had spent a year of post-graduate studies in America, mostly at the University of Southern California, but with plenty of side-trips as well. It was on one of those trips that Seta went to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and his love of zydeco music was born.

Keitaro Urashima was sitting in the Christmas decorated main living room, a large glass of warm sake in hand, watching in some disbelief as a recently de-casted and grinning Seta was spinning around the room dancing to the zydeco song 'Oh Yeh Yai' (a song which to his ears appeared to include both an accordion and a washboard as a musical instrument), a reluctant Haruka in his arms. Or maybe not so reluctant… a smile was threatening to break Haru-chan's visage. A demonically lit and smiling Kaolla Su was working the DJ position behind a stack of amps, woofers, laptop computers and gods knows what else (upon seeing the massive stack of instrumentation, Keitaro had given the pouting teen firm instructions not to turn the volume past 7, with a never exceed limit of 9), all patched into her bleeding edge wireless internet network and the worldwide web… which was why the teen genius had been able to find, download and play Seta-sensei's obscure request not 30 seconds after his asking. As soon as the song started to play, Seta had grabbed a startled Haruka and started to dance, which looked like a crazed combination of a waltz, the foxtrot and the swing.

The Urashima could not really fault his boss' mood. Not only had the cast finally come off his leg, leaving him only with a cane to use when he needed to, he had finally completed the varied requirements for Nyamo's residency paperwork. In fact, the dusky doppelganger of their domestic tenant was now sitting next to a smiling and head bobbing Sarah, melon soda in hand and a confused smile on her face, while Shinobu sat on the blonde's opposite side, watching the ongoing display with wide eyes and a cup of tea cooling in her hand.

What Seta did not know was why his struggles with the government paperwork had finally come to an end. After hearing his boss bitch and moan about the ongoing death of a thousand paper cuts he was undergoing to make Nyamo a legal resident in Japan, made even worse since she was already here, Keitaro had decided to break out the big guns. After conferring with Haruka and getting her agreement, the two had opened the most Holy of Holies, a virtual Ark of the Covenant, a veritable weapon of mass destruction in paper form… Granny's little black book.

The innocuous Moleskine notebook had sat in a hidden drawer in Granny's desk. While Keitaro had known of its existence, only Haruka and Hina herself knew the trick to opening the compartment. Keitaro knew the emergency way to open the compartment (brute force would cause the desk to catch on fire), but he did not want to mess with blood seals again. He made sure he had Haruka teach both him and Kanako the opening seals, and after hesitating for a moment, she agreed, especially since Kanako was not born of Urashima blood and needed to know.

Flipping through the notebook had been a revelation. Entries were organized by name, university attended and jobs held, especially those in major businesses or the government. The Urashima recognized many of the names from the TV news and newspapers. Also noted were brief entries on what could politely be called 'personal interests' of the person involved. In most cases there were just notes, but other notes were in coded language that the three Urashima had been taught when they were younger as 'tradition'. Now they could see that the coded entries referred to safe deposit box numbers and locations, presumably containing proof of what the 'personal interests' notes alluded to. Also noted were positive and negative numbers, alluding to favors given and owed. Most of those entries were one or two in either direction, but one high ranking name had a whopping four favors owed from him, an ill omen if there was one.

After getting the names of some of the people in people in the notebook that could be helpful in solving Seta's problems, Keitaro started to make calls. At first he wanted Haruka to do it, but she convinced him that as the heir of the clan and its future leader, they needed to know that he could handle himself and not pass this off to 'mere females'. Keitaro had snorted at that, as no one was fool enough to think of Hina Urashima as a 'mere' anything.

It was rather scary to see how far some people jumped when certain names were mentioned. Keitaro had been treated rather normally for most of his life, but as soon as the name 'Urashima' was mentioned, formerly snooty secretaries would connect him with the person he was looking for in ten seconds or less.

The first two calls were fairly simple. After introducing himself as Hina's grandson and heir, he asked if there was something that could be done to expedite some paperwork. After asking for specifics, the officials in question would promise to put the paper on the fast track, with their keeping personal attention on them.

The last call was a bit trickier, as the Immigration official had been reluctant to talk to him and seemed disinclined to do anything productive. Looking at his entry, Keitaro had seen that not only did this guy owe Granny two favors, he was one of the ones with the 'personal interests' notations. After pausing for a moment, Keitaro casually asked how his second career in modeling was going. A long moment later the official, whose modeling involved leather and lace with bondage optional, tightly agreed to expedite the paperwork. Keitaro politely thanked him and said good bye, hearing the phone on the other end not quite get slammed down. As a result, when Keitaro made a note on his entry, he put down 'reluctant' and 'no favor given nor received', with Haruka nodding in approval.

The results the next day had been unexpected. Just as the residents had been getting ready for dinner, Seta's deathtrap van came to a crashing halt outside. Hobbling out of the smoking vehicle with his cane to support him, Seta had been bouncing around like a five year old on a sugar rush. After spinning both Sarah and Nyamo around and almost getting them sick, the Urashima had gotten the reason for his good mood out of him. He had gone into the Immigration bureau with the expectation of having to submit a stack of paperwork and receiving another stack that appeared almost identical to fill out. But instead of being called in to the caseworker's cubicle, Seta was instead led to the office of the assistant deputy director of the agency, the fourth or fifth man down from the top. Barely recognizing him as a former school mate that he had not been friends with, and was somewhat jealous of his exploits in school, Seta was surprised to have a manila envelope tossed into his chest by the scowling official. Opening it up, Seta found a Japanese Re-entry Permit booklet (a type of stateless person passport) in Nyamo's name, with a five year permanent resident visa included. Also included was a certified judicial order naming Seta as Nyamo's guardian. When the academic looked up at the other man in shock, the official merely snarled at him to get out and not ever bother him again. Seta decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and ran out of the office as fast as his bad leg could carry him.

Now sitting around the heir to the household were his two girlfriends, Natsumi and Miyuki. While the darker haired girl was sipping at a glass of wine, Natsumi was throwing back sake bombs like they were going out of style. In fact, she had actually beat Kitsune in a drinking contest, the dorm rule for public drunkenness waived for the Christmas/celebratory party this night. It had taken only ten rounds for the fox girl to slide under the table, and his brown haired girlfriend was still going on strong. Kitsune was left propped up on the couch next to a faintly scowling Naru, who had been pried away from her books by the now dozing friend. Nursing her vodka spiked egg nog (Seta's contribution to the night's activities) she watched the dancing couple with a hint of longing in her eyes.

Almost matching her expression was Kanako, who was leaning up against the wall behind the younger girls. Keitaro knew that his adopted sister was massively not happy about his romantic situation, but there was little he could do about it. But what the young male did not realize was that his two girl friends were silently communicating behind his back, reaching an agreement and coming to their feet, pulling Keitaro up with them.

"Huh? What? Is something wrong?" Keitaro was sputtering as the two girls dragged him to the dance area.

"We came here to dance, not just listen to the music, Kei-kun," Miyuki said with a semi-pout on her face.

"With both of you?" Keitaro did not have a problem with that, but he was sure that Kanako would.

"Actually… no." The two watched as Natsumi grabbed Naru from the sofa and pulled her toward the dance area. Stopping by Seta, the brown haired police girl spun him around and pushed him toward the no longer reluctant girl. Seeing Seta nod and smile, Naru gave a shy smile in return and started to dance, matching his movements, but not the grinding that the academic had started to do with his former girlfriend.

Turning back toward her partner, Natsumi joined Haruka in dancing with Miyuki, who then proceeded to start to grind on his aunt. Natsumi caught Keitaro's eye and flicked her own at the wall behind him, and he suddenly understood.

Walking over to Kanako, he stopping in front of the now wide eyed girl and offered her his hand, silently asking her to dance. Smiling widely, Kanako took his hand and followed him onto the dance area, turning and starting to move sinuously, matching Seta's prior efforts but with some dirty dancing thrown in for flavor.

Giggling loudly, Sarah grabbed Nyamo's and Shinobu's hands and pulled them onto the dance area. The blonde _gaijin_ girl started to dance, matching what her father was doing, but Nyamo instead started to do some South Pacific islander dance, and after hesitating for a moment, Shinobu started to copy her.

After seeing all this happen, Su set the music player on automatic and vaulted down to the floor, a flash equipped digital camera in her hand. After taking multiple pictures of all the couples and trios dancing, Su tossed the camera next to the still snoring Kitsune and joined in the younger girls dance, forming into a dancing ring, spinning around and laughing.

Keitaro turned from his sister for a moment, hearing Sarah above all the other girls as they danced and spun around, the laugh distinctive. It reminded him of when they had first met, back in Thailand. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to Kanako, trying to get back into the holiday spirit, knowing that there was little he could do about memories, and now was not the time to brood about it. Instead, he focused on the smile on Kanako's face, trying to make sure that good memories would tamp down the bad, memories that even now were trying to come to the surface.

_end chapter 36_

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – The plans of mice and men often go astray. So much for posting within a couple weeks. *sad*_

_I am sure that some people out there think that Motoko is acting out of character and illogically (gee, that sounds familiar) by allowing the customer harassment at the café and for allowing her boss Kotoko to seduce her. Here is the thing – Motoko has been going through extensive desensitization to male lust and taught to respond with the minimum force needed at her new job. She does not just beat the hell out of men anymore; at work the worst she does is slap them. On the trains she does do farther by breaking bones, but that is because those are attempted sexual assaults. And as to being seduced, due to the poor sex education she received and we all now know about Motoko has a massive blind spot in her mind. She thinks MEN are perverts, and that women normally are not sexually excited or perverted (it's one of the reason she reacted so badly to seeing Tsuruko having sex). Also Motoko has had so little positive physical contact in her life that Kotoko kissing and caressing her caused her mental barriers to fail._

_As to the second part of this chapter, I've always had a mental image of the cast of Contract Labor dancing around to Cajun/zydeco music. The song in the story is __**Oh Yeh Yai**_ by _**Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys **__(you can look it up on YouTube), featured in the 1987 movie __**The Big Easy**__. The reason I did this is because I think it is almost impossible to dance to this song and not be happy at the same time, and I wanted a different kind of song for the Christmas party. *smile* Another excellent song from that movie is __**B**__**uckwheat Zydeco - Buck's Nouvelle Jole Blon**__, also available on YouTube._

_Most of you will be happy to hear that the next big flashback arc will now start in Thailand, with Keitaro, Seta, Nyamo and Sarah on the dig site. That arc should last a couple of chapters at least before we switch back to current time New Years in Tokyo, where Keitaro will run into some childhood friends, two of which he will not be too happy to see again and one that he will be glad to meet again. But before all this takes place, the next chapter will be an omake chapter involving some of the girls, a certain turtle or two, and…balloons? *grin*_

_Winner of the most unusual place to read my story this last chapter is Hong Kong, along with Mainland China. Runner up is Uruguay, and special mentions go to Cuba and Iran._

_Thanks to AZ MII for going over this story for me._

_As of 04Sept12 0150 PDT this story has 280,761 Views, 488 Reviews, 53 C2 Listings, 672 Favorite Listings, and 607 Story Alerts. Thanks again guys.*thumbs up*_


	37. Chapter 37

Ch 37

V 1.0

Holiday Special - Sarah and Nyamo's (and Gidget's) Excellent New Years Adventure

(Yes, I know it's November, but it's the holiday season in the story. Sheesh…)

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>__Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture__  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>December 28  
>mid day<em>

Sarah MacDougal was bored. As anyone who was familiar with the American teenager knew, this was A Bad Thing.

Sarah always had a problem keeping her attention on things, especially if they did not interest her. School teachers learned this to their dismay when they had her in their classes; the girl could learn the class room material very quickly, almost scarily so. After that, on a good day Sarah would either scribble in a notebook or read from some paperback book. On a bad day, or if the teacher was a rule following martinet that insisted on either her sitting quietly in her chair, or doing more of the same work, Sarah would come up with her own forms of fun. Spitballs would be the least of it; her best day the annoyed teen managed, with some quickly but carefully altered notes she was supposed to pass from some airhead cheerleader to her popular boyfriend, caused the airhead to have a screaming fit in the classroom itself, loudly accusing her boyfriend of cheating on her with her best friend. The best part was that the boyfriend dumbly asked what gave them away, since they would get together when the other girl was busy doing other things. When the girl screeched that the note had been addressed to her friend, the boyfriend, showing that he had taken one too many helmet hits while playing football, thoughtless responded that at least now he could be with the other girl and not have to put up with her flat ass and poor oral skills. The shriek the spurned girl gave almost shattered window glass and ruptured eardrums; it only went downhill from there.

Sarah's talents did not just extend to note-forging and mischief-making; she was also a fairly skilled artist, usually making caricatures of people she saw. Her technical drawing skills were rather good, but she preferred to do stylized minimalistic portraits of people and places that showed their defining characteristics. Usually done in pencil and charcoal, ten minutes of work would produce a decent portrait or study. It was only when she had an idea get in her head that she would break out her colored pencils and really buckle down.

Her last work had been inspired by a photo portrait that she had seen hanging in a Hinata-sou hallway, apparently taken only a few weeks ago. It showed the three young Urashima sitting together on a tatami floor while wearing formal Japanese clothes. Haruka, the deadpan older girl that her father was always hanging around, and Kanako, the younger yet scarier girl, were wearing dark robe-like kimonos, with a wooden sword laying on the ground besides Kanako. But it was the guy sitting between them that caught the American girl's eye.

When Sarah had first met Keitaro Urashima in Thailand on her father's expedition earlier that year, she had not been impressed. Only a few inches taller than her with a slender build, her first impression of him was that he was some kind of geeky nerd, one of her father's students dragged along to do the grunt work. His demeanor left her feeling cold as well. Granted, she did not have a lot of experience with Japanese people besides her adoptive father, but Keitaro was almost too polite for his own good. Even though he was armed like the two other guards on the expedition, he did not put off any sort of threatening vibe like they did. Gaz had been a British soldier and while polite, you could tell it was not a good idea to mess with him. Yuri the Russian guard, on the other hand, put off scary vibes without even trying, with his cold blue eyes and tattoo-covered arms and chest. Yet the skinny dork was supposed to be protecting them? Yeah, right. But boy, did she learn different later that year.

In the portrait, Keitaro was wearing formal samurai robes and was sitting on the mat with his hands folded in his lap, his gaze steadily forward toward the camera. There was a small smile on his face, but mostly the viewer's attention was drawn to his eyes. The camera had captured a hint of something that was almost never seen on the young man's face, something that Sarah had only seen one horrible day in Thailand, while she had been cowering in the foot well of a truck while it sounded like every bad guy in the world was firing machine guns at them.

When the adults at the expedition camp talked on their handheld radios, they used call signs instead of their own names. Gaz had been _**Sword **_(from the sword on the SAS patch), Yuri had been _**Drago**_ (due to his more than faint resemblance to Ivan Drago from the Rocky movie) , and Daddy had been known as _**Sensei**_. Keitaro had been known as _**Ronin**_, and Sarah wound up asking her father about it. Noriyasu Seta explained that Japanese high school graduates that failed to enter college were known as _ronin_, the old name for masterless samurai warriors. Sarah had snorted at that explanation, telling her father that the Dork did not look like any kind of warrior. Seta had given her a strange smile, replying that while in fact Keitaro did descend from noble samurai blood, anyone who really knew him would understand that the title of warrior did apply to him. The blonde girl did not understand at that time, not until much later.

As much as Sarah wanted to continue with her drawing of the Sou manager in samurai garb, she was a bit stuck at the moment. She did not want to replicate the photo she had seen on the wall and have Keitaro just sitting somewhere. She wanted to show him in some action pose, but having him wielding a sword was a little too cliché – plus, she had never really seen him do that, and Sarah did not want to copy a pose from some other Japanese drawing.

After a while, Sarah got an inspiration – she had seen all three of the guards practicing with their handguns one afternoon, and while Gaz was the best shot of the three, Keitaro had been pretty good as well – good enough to occasionally outshoot Yuri, much to the big Russian's disgust. In fact, there was one mode of shooting where the Japanese student was consistently better than the Russian merc – shooting on the move. Yuri could stand in place and accurately hit the steel plate targets and tin cans with a handgun, but Keitaro could move forward rapid firing his pistol and the steel plate would ring like a church bell. When the two other contractors demanded to know how he learned to shoot so well, Keitaro merely smiled and said he had a couple of good instructors.

Working busily the previous evening, Sarah finally finished the drawing. It had Keitaro dressed in the full robes and oversized jacket he was wearing in the original picture, only in the drawing he was walking toward the viewer, holding a pistol in both hands and firing, muzzle blast visible. There were even shell casings in the air after being ejected by the pistol but before they hit the ground. Keitaro's head had been tilted forward, the expression on his face intent and determined, concentrating on the viewer.

Sarah had been putting the last strokes on the sketch at breakfast this morning when Kitsune had stumbled in and caught a glance at what she was doing. Before she could stop her, the resident trickster had grabbed the drawing pad from her hands, and after looking at it for a long moment, keeping it above the protesting teen's hands, flipped it over and showed it to everyone else in the kitchen. While the non-family members of the household had been slightly thrown by the subject matter, they all agreed that it was a good drawing. When Naru asked why she had chosen to draw Keitaro in samurai garb but with a modern weapon, Sarah replied that a gun was the only type of weapon she had seen the house manager handle. When everyone turned and looked at Keitaro, he calmly stated that his official job on the Thailand expedition was that of a guard, even if most of the time he was assisting Seta-sensei with artifacts and reports. Thankfully, no one pursued the question any further.

Now that the drawing was done, Sarah had started work on another one, this one with Keitaro standing in profile with a pistol at a high ready position with one hand, the other hand up and flat in a gesture for someone behind him to halt. She had gotten the outline done on her oversized drawing pad, the next step being to fill in the details. But right now Sarah was feeling antsy, feeling the need to go outside and do something, do anything physical. Knowing it was almost impossible for her to do anything when she had this feeling, the American teen set the drawing pad aside and left the room she shared with Nyamo.

Sarah had not been happy that she would not be able to live with her father, and have to split a room with another person, something no other resident at the Hinata-sou had to do. But Seta had sat her down and explained that due to his living conditions (Sarah had seen his apartment once, and it was a royal mess) and that since Nyamo was staying with them as well, he could not afford to get them separate rooms. As it was, Keitaro and Haruka were bending a couple of rules by letting them stay together.

The blonde teen could not really complain about her roommate. Nyamo hardly spoke aloud, but her glances and expressions could speak volumes. Back in Thailand they had all had their own separate little tents to live in, with a big tent for all of them to work, eat and hang out in during the day or if the weather turned bad. Since she had been living on her own for so long, Sarah was used to leaving things laying around and not making her bed and so on. It had only taken a couple of the island girl's soulful stares to get her to start cleaning up after herself. The American did not even try and complain about it, as she was damn lucky to have gotten the western style bed, while Nyamo had been more than happy to sleep in the Japanese style futon. As it was, the tanned girl had to be almost forced to sleep on the pads, as she was so used to sleeping on the ground with merely two blankets and a rolled jacket as a pillow.

Fortunately, the two newest foreign girls had not been thrown into the deep end of the Japanese school system. With some major string pulling, Haruka had arranged for Sarah and Nyamo to be put on independent study based out of the Hinata-sou. Not that the study was simple or easy; the two girls had been immersed in an Japanese language study program based on Seta's work as a part-time tutor from when he was a graduate student. Sarah had known a few Japanese words and phrases from her father, but this program was insane. For six hours a day five days a week, the girls got the total immersion approach to learning Japanese, and it was mind-blowing. Not only did they have to listen to and speak Japanese during their lessons, the other occupants of the house spoke only Japanese to them to help them along, speaking English only when they had no other choice.

Now that they were at the point they could each read and speak somewhat intelligibly in Japanese, their final exam a couple days before had been both of the girls being separately taken to the other side of Hinata City with only their ID, 2000 yen (not enough for a taxi), and instructions to make their way back the Hinata-sou, and a mobile phone in case they got completely lost. Sarah took three long hot hours to make the trip, only to find Nyamo sitting on the front steps of the Sou waiting for her, looking as cool as a daisy, not a yen spent.

However, this test now proved that they were literate enough that they would be enrolled in public school, starting at the beginning of the new year. To Sarah's chagrin, she had been assigned to the college prep academic track that would last three years. Nyamo was assigned to the one year vocational track, after which she would leave school as soon as she reached her sixteenth birthday and completed the mandatory education track and graduate with what in the US would be a General Education Degree certificate, as she was not interested in continuing her education beyond what was legally required, no matter what Seta and Keitaro said to her.

As much as Sarah wanted to be annoyed with her roommate, she really could not. She knew the islander girl was an orphan, with her last known relative being the grandfather who had been Seta's friend. As far as Sarah knew the only things that Nyamo had to her name was a single duffle bag containing her belongings and a small sailboat. Seta had arranged for the boat to be transported to the Hinata-sou, and it was now sitting inside a storage shed, its mast removed and stored alongside to allow it to fit in the small building.

Stepping out the back door, Sarah could hear the muffled roar of a turbofan engine. Walking up to the driveway, the American girl could see the giant mechanical turtle flying around the lawn area between the rear of the house and the start of the treeline surrounding the residence, a young tanned blonde girl perched on its back and cackling loudly.

Kaolla Su was one of the weirdest people she had ever met, and that was really saying something. The girl was only a little younger than she was, but she was way smarter… as in she really should be in university working on a Ph.D smarter. But for whatever reason, instead of blowing up university labs with her experiments she was in a Japanese high school 'tinkering' with her projects, MechaTama being the most prominent of them.

Sarah was used to being the biggest brat in the room, mostly because other people bored her, but Su had the capacity to be even more so. Her only saving grace was that was not intentionally bad, but Su did not quite understand what some of her actions could hurt people. Plus her interests were such that very few people could follow along with her when she was in full engineering babble mode, Keitaro's girlfriend Miyuki being one of them.

That had been something that had thrown the American girl for a loop, the fact that the Dork had two girlfriends at the same time, and that they knew about each other. In fact, the two girls lived together, and if Sarah's suspicions were correct, were probably as close to each other as they were with the Dork.

Being the suspicious person that she had previously been, Sarah would not have had charitable thoughts as to why two girls would be together with the same guy, especially after finding out upon arriving at the Hinata-sou that the guy was apparently heir to a fortune. But after spending the summer with the Dork, and having him save her skinny white butt from a really bad fate in Thailand, Sarah had seen past the geek façade of Keitaro to the real person, and she could not really blame the two girls for going after him. Because really, two girls that were almost thirty going after a guy who was barely twenty? It sounded so tacky.

Looking off to the side, Sarah saw that Gidget the giant turtle was resting in the shade under one of the trees with Nyamo sitting and leaning up against her. The young islander girl had some kind of ceramic musical instrument that looked a little like a sweet potato up to her mouth and was producing flute-like music, a tune that the American girl was not familiar with. Nyamo had never played her instrument in Thailand, so this was her first time hearing it, and to her surprise, the music was rather good.

"Hey Nyamo, what's that you're playing?" The whole honorific and suffix thing had been beaten into Sarah's head, but even though she speaking Japanese to the islander girl, she had left off the -chan or –kun, as she was one of the few people who did not care about it.

"This called ocarina in English, my grandfather taught me to play." Even though Nyamo probably spoke better Japanese than Sarah did, she preferred using her characteristic laconic style. "Gidget sad, thought I would cheer up."

Glancing over at the giant tortoise's face, Sarah could see that Gidget did in fact look a little sad. The tortoise glanced back at the American for a moment before looking back out into the field before them, her eyes following the antics of Su and her MechaTama.

"Why is Gidget sad? Is it because she's away from home?" If anyone else would say that they were able to communicate with a tortoise, Sarah would have thought them mad, but Nyamo and Gidget were the exception.

"When magic turtles are young, they can use their powers to fly through air. When they get too big they stop, take too much power to do. Closest Gidget can do now is swim, hasn't been able to fly in long time, over one hundred years."

"One hundred years? How old is Gidget?" Sarah was a little shocked at the figure.

"Gidget not know for sure, does not count time like people do. All she knows is she remembers time before steel ships on ocean, when ships were made of wood and pushed by wind." Here Nyamo paused for a moment to chirp and whistle at the tortoise, who replied for about half a minute. "She says she was young she was captured by whalers to be used as food, before that happen mountain island nearby blew up, caused great wave to wreak ship and free Gidget. So much fire and smoke in sky, Gidget thought world was ending." Here Nyamo stroked Gidget on top of her head, who actually purred in response. "All this happen in sea of many islands near where she met me, after than she hide from adult people, only come near young boys and girls so she would not be hurt or captured again."

Sarah did the figures in her head, and consulted a mental map. After a few moments the answer came to mind. "What you are saying is that she was near the eruption of Krakatoa? The sea of many islands is probably Indonesia, and they had a volcano blow up like that in the 1880s."

Nyamo shrugged. "Could be true. Hid in coral reefs for long time after that, had to hide again when steel ship war start, last long time too."

"Steel ship war?" Sarah had a feeling she knew what she meant by this.

"Gidget no read people languages, but can recognize colors and flags." Here Nyamo chirped and whistled with Gidget before continuing. "Steel ship war was when steel ships with white flags with red circles and lines fight against ships with flags with crossed and even white, blue and red lines and white stars. Very scary time, always big explosions in water, flying machines falling into water. One time big explosion destroy coral reef Gidget live in, had to swim across channel to other reef. Many men dead and dying in water, called sharks to them." Both Nyamo and Sarah shivered at the thought. "Gidget come across hurt man helping other man swim, hurt man almost exhausted. Gidget hold rope tied to second man in mouth, pulled both men to island. First man had hurt back, Gidget pulled by shirt to tree line, pulled second man later. Gidget leave when sun start to come up, first man start to feel better. Man is who gave Gidget her name."

"How do you know that?" Sarah was intrigued by this story. Nyamo and Gidget chirped and whistled for another minute.

"Man called her Midget at first, because so big?" Here Nyamo raised an eyebrow and Sarah nodded, understanding that the man was being ironic about the giant tortoise. "When he called her boy, Gidget shake head, when he called her girl, she nod. Man call her Gidget, for girl midget."

"I don't suppose Gidget remembers this guy's name?" Sarah was being sarcastic, so she was surprised to hear the response after the tortoise and the girl spoke again.

"Man call himself John, no remember last name. He in charge of small fast boat. Promised Gidget to name next family boat for her in thanks." Nyamo reached out and before Sarah realized what was happening Nyamo was using her hand to stroke Gidget's head, and the tortoise purred again.

Looking down at the giant reptile, Sarah thought about her compatriot had said. It was easy to figure out why Gidget was depressed; watching the mechanical turtle do what it could do in her youth made it apparent. But there was little the American girl could do to help the tortoise. It was not like she could wave a magic wand and let the tortoise fly again. And asking someone like Su for help was just asking for trouble; she could very well just strap a rocket to poor Gidget's back and let it rip, like in that stupid Darwin Award story she had read once.

"Um…Nyamo, how did Gidget fly? It's not like she had wings to flap or anything." The giant tortoise did have webbed feet, but they looked more like elephant feet than the flipper feet of its aquatic brethren.

After a few seconds of whistling and chirping, Nyamo replied to Sarah's question. "Magic can make turtle float in air like in water, then wind pushes along. Much like sea gulls, yes?"

"Yeah…" Sarah now had a thoughtful expression on her face, one that her former classmates and teachers would recognize… and cause them to run away screaming. "Could Gidget produce the wind that pushed her along or did she use regular winds? Can she still do it now?"

"She makes winds." After the girl chirped at the tortoise, a small whirlwind suddenly formed around them, one that increased to the point that leaves and small debris started to blow around them before stopping.

"Hmm…" The tone of Sarah's voice was such at both the other girl and the tortoise looked back at her. Seeing the smile on the American girl's face, they both were struck with a feeling of apprehension.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>__Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture__  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>January 1  
>daybreak<em>

"Ready, Nyamo, Gidget?" The American girl was doing her best not to giggle maniacally, but it was a near thing.

The last two days had past in a flurry of preparations, complicated by the fact that they could not let anyone else know what they were doing – grown-ups had this real tendency to be party poopers, in Sarah's experience. That's why they were doing this now on the far side of the storage shed out of sight of the main house, while everyone was still hung over and asleep in their beds after the New Year's celebrations.

"Ready, Sarah." The islander girl replied, but with a worried expression on her face. Gidget 'myuh'ed in response, the same look on the giant reptile as well.

The two girls and the tortoise were sitting in a large steel wire basket, one used to transport material by forklift. As such, it was large enough for the three of them (if the girls stayed kneeling, the sides came up to their mid-chests and it was long enough to lay down in), a large compressed gas tank, and some other supplies. Right now, the basket had several large weather balloons attached to it with rope, a pair of the meter and a half globes at each corner for a total of eight balloons. Filling the balloons quietly had been the hardest problem – helium tended to shriek as it was released from the tank, but by releasing it slowly, it was doable.

In the basket with the trio was what Sarah called the emergency gear – two more balloons of two meters size, with enough lift capacity to break someone's fall, if they were petite girl sized. Sarah had rigged the balloons to be quickly filled with the helium tank in the basket and attached to the heavy riggers belt and carabineers both girls were right now wearing and attached to safety lines in case they had to bail out, but she had no plans of abandoning ship, not if it meant leaving Gidget behind. She had no intention to telling her fellow passengers this though.

Scrounging up the materials had been, if not child's play, fairly easy. The basket had been in the shed with Nyamo's boat, and the weather balloons had been packaged and on the shed shelves as well, the surplus of one of Su's experiments. After reading the lift capacity on the packaging and doing the math involved, Sarah decided that her plan was doable, if they could get their hands on some lighter-than-air compressed gas tanks. It was here that Nyamo did her bit, as she nonchalantly walked up to Su's ominously blinking _Alarm Panel of Doom!_ next to the entry door of her outdoor research lab storage area and casually typed in a sixteen digit code. The panel beeped, the light flashed green and the door clicked open. When an incredulous Sarah asked her how she had done it, Nyamo merely smiled and said she had seen Su do it once, and that she had a good memory. The only problem had been finding the correct compressed gas to use; there were hydrogen gas tanks there, presumably used in welding, but Sarah did not want to do a replay of the _**Hindenburg**_disaster and grabbed a couple of helium tanks instead, pulling them out of the shed on a dolly the two girls had found there as well.

Once the balloons were full, the girls led Gidget into the basket. Normally the tortoise would not have been able to see very well from inside the basket, but Sarah had taken some wire snips and cut a hole in the side wall big enough for Gidget to stick her head through and look around. After the tortoise was on-board, the emergency gear and a couple of knapsacks of snacks, water, and other items were loaded. After that, the two girls jumped into the floating basket straining against the two ropes keeping them grounded. Sarah and Nyamo then adjusted the two fabric and wooden frames attached to the sides of the basket for the purposes of both propulsion and steering. Right now they were flat against the sides of the basket, but they could be pulled open for navigation purposes.

Looking around, Sarah could see that everything was set; taking hold of the half-looped knotted rope at the head of the basket, the American girl turned to see her compatriot do the same at the stern. Smiling encouragingly, Sarah started counting down, "OK, on three now… one… two… three!" Yanking the knots free the basket began to slowly rise, clearing the roof level of the shed after a few moments.

Working quickly, Sarah and Nyamo started adjusting the side sails. With her extensive experience with her sail boat, Nyamo was a natural at this, and soon enough, the basket with the two girls and the tortoise turned toward Hinata City, and catching the morning on-shore wind, began to travel at a decent clip, their altitude stabilizing at a hundred feet above ground level.

Turning toward Nyamo, Sarah was surprised to see her friend smiling widely; with the wind ruffling her hair, she almost looked like a different person then the somber girl she was used to.

"Are we having fun or what?" Sarah grinned, only to be surprised at the response she did get.

"MyuhmyuhMYUH!" Gidget's head was sticking out of the hole, and both girls could not mistake the giant grin on the tortoise's face as she watched the ground go by below them. "MYUUUHHH!" The girls both burst out laughing at the sheer joy they could hear in their animal friend's calls.

* * *

><p><em>Hinata-sou Dormitory<br>__Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture__  
>Metro Tokyo, Japan<br>January 1  
>mid afternoon<em>

"Oh God, I'm sooo tired. We had so much fun today, didn't we girls?" Sarah asked her two friends. Nyamo gave a hum in agreement, while Gidget chirped shortly in response as they walked along the forest path toward the Sou.

The trio had quite a blast in their aerial travels that day. The morning on-shore wind had pushed them along the outskirts of Hinata City toward the hills that ringed the town. Using some careful steering, and with a judicious gust or two of magical wind from Gidget, the three travelers had a wonderful time sight seeing some of the forest and mountain areas around their town. Sarah had been more than a little tempted to land the basket and go for a walkabout, but they only had so much helium in the balloons and even with the tank had brought along there would be a chance they could not get airborne again if they let some lift gas out of the balloons to land. So instead at about noontime they had turned the basket around and flew back toward Hinata City.

At about the time they were floating over the city limits, they had noticed there was a parade going on at the main street of the town. Carefully steering, the girls managed to stay a couple of blocks to the side of the parade, but still close enough to be able to watch it through the binoculars Sarah had brought along. Both girls had an attack of the giggles at the sight of the crowd of men carrying portable shrines on palanquin platforms, dressed in traditional _fundoshi _underwear and nothing else. Given it was New Year's Day and cold and windy, it looked very uncomfortable.

Noticing that the wind was starting to reverse into an off-shore breeze toward the ocean, the girls decided it was time to call it a day, but not before floating at a relatively lower altitude over a hillside city park playground filled with young children. When an observant boy pointed to the sky and cried out in surprise and delight, the girls soon found themselves the center of attention for a large group of cheering children and some adults. The girls waved as they went by and Gidget called out as well, but soon enough they were back at the Hinata-sou.

With some more work with the sails and Gidget's magical wind, the basket was able to wind up almost where they had started that morning, behind the Hinata-sou. However, they came up a little short and had to land in a clearing with a large bolder in it a short distance from the treeline closest to the house. Rather than completely tiring Gidget out by asking for more magic wind, they decided to touch down there.

Once the basket touched the ground, Sarah and Nyamo quickly deflated the balloons, pulling open the quick purge valves. Once the balloons were all flat, they folded them and tossed them into the basket, rolling the helium tank on top of them so they would stay put. Deciding to leave everything in place to be dealt with the next day, the girls grabbed their knapsacks and began to walk back to the house at a slow pace, staying behind their tortoise friend.

"I don't know about you guys, but I just want to grab something to eat and crash. I think I'm probably going to sleep until tomorrow." Today had been the most fun Sarah had had in a long time. "I'm glad we were able to do this, Nyamo, Gidget," the blonde said as they cleared the treeline and entered the back yard of the house.

"Do what, Sarah-chan?" The blonde had been looking back at Nyamo, so she was startled to see the resident adults of the Sou standing in front of them. The Dork was standing in front with Kanako a step behind and beside him, and her father was standing besides Haruka. The younger teen residents were standing in a huddle a few steps behind the adults.

"Umm… exploring the hills. You saw the note we left, right?" Sarah was thinking fast, inwardly grateful that she had left a note pinned to the manager's door saying _'Gone exploring the hillsides with Nyamo and Gidget. We have our gear, food and phones. Back by dinner. Sarah'_.

"And why didn't you tell one of us you were leaving for the day?" This question came from Haruka.

"Because you all were snoring loud enough to be sawing logs, and probably more hung over than sailors after shore leave after last night's party." That part was true enough, as Kitsune had managed to get the manager into a drinking contest rematch by the time the younger residents had left to go to sleep. The trickster still looked hung over as it was.

"So why didn't you answer your phone?" Kanako asked, a skeptical look on her face.

Pulling out her cell phone from her back pocket, Sarah keyed the display on and cringed to see five missed calls and two messages. Looking closer, she could see the reason for the missed calls. Flipping the phone forward, the American girl showed the phone to everyone. "Because I accidently set my phone to 'silent' and didn't hear any of your calls?"

Keitaro looked from his relatives to his nominal boss, silent questions crossing between them. Seeing that they were leaving the ball in his court yet again, the manager looked back at the two girls. Sarah had that guiltless look on her face that caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise, while Nyamo had her normal quizzical expression. And Gidget… he was not quite good enough to read a tortoise's mind and expression just yet.

"So you don't do anything illegal, immoral, or dangerous?" Now concentrating on the American girl, she innocently blink-blinked before responding.

"Well… 'no' to the first two, and as for dangerous, there was no one shooting at us this time, so I guess we were OK." Keitaro winced slightly at that, but his two relatives and the subject of their questioning still picked up on it.

"Go wash up, Sarah-chan, Nyamo-chan. It's almost time for dinner. We can continue this talk after we eat." Keitaro turned and started to walk back to the house. "And please make sure your phone ringer is on, OK?"

"No problem." Sarah slowly let out a breath she did not know she was holding as the adults turned and walked back into the house, the other tenants following behind them. Looking at Nyamo and Gidget, they both looked back at her with worried expressions on their faces. "You guys worry too much. We'll be OK, I promise." Turing the phone ringer on, she started back toward the house when the phone dinged, showing she had just received a new text message with a photo. Opening the message, she came to an abrupt halt.

The picture was of the balloons and basket, taken from below and to the side, with Sarah and Nyamo visible and recognizable, waving toward the picture taker. Gidget's head was visible and turned toward the camera as well. It appeared to have been taken at the hilltop park they had passed before arriving home.

Along with the picture was the following message in English text: _–Miyuki and Natsumi were at the park with friends today and sent this to us. No one was hurt and nothing serious occurred today, and you didn't really lie to us, but things could have gone worse. I could see you all had fun today, so I don't want to be a total kill joy. We'll discuss your punishment later, but it won't be as serious as it could have been. Keitaro Urashima._

Sighing, Sarah tucked her phone away. Walking toward the house again, she grumbled under her breath, "Still totally worth it though."

end Ch 37

* * *

><p><em>AN – It's been a long time, no? Two and a half months since the last post… I feel so ashamed. :( I blame Mass Effect, Medal of Honor Warfighter (the single player game is good, the multiplayer not so much) and Halo 4 (managed to stop after a couple of missions). The good news is that next week (Thanksgiving week) I will be on vacation, so more time to write and hopefully present something in time for the start of December, knock on wood._

This is the last chapter set in normal time for a while; starting next chapter we will begin the eagerly awaited Thailand arc, where Keitaro and Seta went for their expedition, right up to where everything goes hell, then we'll come back to the main story, where we will meet up with our favorite watermelon loving girl, the number of residents of the Sou will increase, and we will check in our former kendo girl again. After that will be the final Thailand arc where a certain ronin goes to Roanapur, and certainly make his mark there in blood.

For those people interested in what inspired Sarah's drawings of Keitaro in samurai garb with a gun, look up _**Magpul The Art of The Tactical Carbine **__and __**The Art of The Dynamic Handgun **__in your favorite search engine and look at the image section. They are part of a series of real life training DVDs, and the Japanese style covers are very striking; I keep wishing they made them poster sized._

As always, thanks to PCH and AZ MII for their excellent FB and beta assistance.

Since it's been almost three months since my last update, the stats are a little skewed. However, _**Contract Labor **__is now at 179K+ words, 509 Reviews, 308,170 Views, 54 C2 listings, 716 Favorite listings, and 644 Story Alerts. Thanks again, guys. *Victory sign*_


	38. Chapter 38

Ch 38

V 1.5

_(Author note - this first section is Keitaro's POV and mental monologue. Further notes at the end of the chapter.)_

_Hinata-sou Dormitory _  
><em>Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture<em>  
><em>Metro Tokyo, Japan<em>  
><em>January 2<em>  
><em>just before daybreak<em>  
><em>(five months after story start)<em>

_It's funny how one phrase carelessly spoken by a person can reopen the door to memories you would much rather keep buried._

"…_there was no one shooting at us this time…"_

_I know that Sarah was not being careless or flippant with her statement the day before. As far as I could tell, she was handling her memories of her experiences in Thailand relatively well...as well as a young girl who had been kidnapped to be sold into sexual slavery could handle it, but Sarah was a tough little girl. I just keep waiting for cracks to show through her mental walls, for her façade to turn brittle. The problem was it was my mental walls that showed cracks, manifesting themselves in my dreams._

_Thank the gods that I never had one of my nightmares when I would spend the night with Miyuki-chan and Natsumi-chan, or when Kana-chan would sneak into my futon in my room when I was asleep. I do not know exactly what happens when I am dreaming, but at the end of the dreams I would be completely frozen, struggling to move before violently jerking awake._

_The other thing that occurs when I have my dreams is that I cannot go back to sleep easily. Not that I really want to; the one time I did manage to fall asleep after a nightmare resulted in a replay of the horror I had seen earlier that night, the blood on my hands, the agonized cries and screams of the wounded, and the accusing eyes of the recently dead._

_Sitting up on the futon, I could feel the sweat on my brow as well as the heavy pounding of my heart in my chest. Catching my breath, I slowly tossed my blanket to the side and rolled at first to my knees, then my feet. Looking over to the side at the alarm clock, I could see that it was fifteen minutes until dawn. _

_After taking a quick shower, I went over to the kitchen and brewed a large mug of tea. Carrying the mug with me, I walked over to the picture glass windows of the living room and looked out toward Tokyo Bay, where the sun had started making its way above the water, the dark navy of the night sky gradually changing from purple to red to orange to yellow. Sipping at the mug, I could not help but think about the other times I had watched the sun rise over the ocean, most recently when I had my ill-fated duel with Motoko-san. But then I thought of all the other times I had seen the sun rise while I was overseas, when I was laying on the ground behind a scoped rifle, waiting for trouble to show itself._

_Trouble that we were not ready for when it finally did appear._

* * *

><p><em>Todai Archeological Excavation Site<em>  
><em>Koh Tao Island, Surat Thani Province, <em>  
><em>Gulf of Thailand <em>  
><em>Early July<em>  
><em>just past daybreak<em>  
><em>(two months before story start) <em>

Keitaro scanned from one side of the bay to another, carefully moving the binoculars at his eyes so that he would not look through them directly at the sun, an experience he had no interest in repeating after the first painful time. Laying on a poncho spread on the ground on his stomach, with his elbows braced on the ground to hold the binoculars to his face, the young _ronin_ tried to notice anything out of place compared to the uncounted number times he had previously looked. With his position carefully covered and concealed just below the crest of the highest hill on the south side of the island bay, Keitaro had a clear line of sight from the work camp and dig site, a collection of small tents around a larger one 50 yards in from the furthest edge of the bay and the small stream feeding into it on his left side to the rocky shore and cliffs bordering the bay to his front, and the somewhat narrow opening to the bay and the ancient looking buoy marking the entrance to the right.

Finding nothing amiss, Keitaro lowered the binocs from his face and rubbed his eyes. He had come up to this sniper's perch two hours ago when he had relieved the previous guard on duty, carefully announcing himself on the handheld radio first. Operating under the theory that if the camp was to be attacked it would be in the middle of the night, between midnight and dawn, the guard shifts were staggered so that the guard on duty was relatively awake and observant at the most dangerous time, the hour or so before daybreak. The guard was stationed away from the central camp but within either voice or radio range, as one of the other guards had proclaimed that more sentries had died staring into a campfire than actually doing their jobs and sounding the alarm **before** they died.

Looking down at his cheap Timex wristwatch, Keitaro saw that it was almost six in the morning, time for the first radio check in of the day. The radio was left turned on at the base camp but no calls were made after bed time except when the relief guard was on his way to the sniper perch. Pulling the handheld to his face, Keitaro clicked the transmit button on the cord that ran from his radio earpiece to the transmitter. _"Ronin to Base, Ronin to Base, come in." _

After a few moments there was a response, a British accent apparent even through the tinny speaker of the earpiece. _"Sword to Ronin, we copy you, go for traffic."_ Gareth 'Gaz' Shaw, code-named 'Sword' for the flaming weapon embroidered on his old unit patch, was a former SAS trooper from Great Britain in his late thirties, medically retired after being shot in the chest with a large caliber round on a mission that he could not talk about. Prompt medical care had saved his life, but he had lost his right lung from severe trauma and had been invalidated from the service once he had recovered as much as he was able to. In his own words, Gaz was no longer able to run with the kiddies, but as a security contractor for hire he was still able to pull a trigger if need be, and to teach the youngsters some of his hard-won wisdom.

Keitaro spoke into the radio again. _"Ronin to Sword, top of the hour check-in, negative visuals, negative contacts at this time."_

The radio paused for a long moment before the voice came again. _"Affirm Ronin, negative visuals and contacts copied. Ronin, prepare for fire support mission."_

"_Copy fire support mission." _After arriving on the island site, the two older contractors had given Keitaro some further instruction on military matters and weapon usage, including long distance rifle shooting. On occasion, the young _ronin_ was tested by the others with simulated targets.

Moving the binoculars to the other side of the poncho and sleeping pad he was laying on, Keitaro pulled over a SVD Dragunov sniper rifle and set the handguard on a sandbag before him, re-verifying that the scope adjustments were at its normal presets. Checking to make sure a round was in the chamber and that the magazine was full even though he had done so at the beginning of the shift, he tucked the stock into his shoulder and peered through the optical sight and saw that it was clear. Clicking the radio mike to voice activation mode, Keitaro said _"Ronin ready for fire support, call your tangos," _using the code name for targets.

The reply came a few moments later. _"Ronin, stand by for target designation. Will call three tangos, you will have ten seconds from target ID to complete engagement. Stand by…"_ The voice on the radio went silent for what felt like an eternity before it spoke again. _"Target one is approximately 80 meters north-east of camp, tango with AK on the ground behind a pink and white bush. Fire at will."_

Keitaro immediately swiveled the Dragunov to the left, finding the white smoke of the camp cook fire and tracing his way up. Almost immediately picking up on the white painted steel plate with a crude AK stenciled on it behind a bougainvillea bush, he put the crosshairs of the scope on target, then raised the intersecting lines so the target was behind the hash mark for three hundred meters. The Russian rifle and scope were zeroed for two hundred yards, so Keitaro had to compensate for the bullet drop the additional almost one hundred meters of range would produce. Moving the crosshairs the tiniest bit to the right to compensate for the light ocean wind, Keitaro began to apply pressure to the trigger, whispering _"On target… Firing…"_ into his radio mike just as the sear on the rifle released, a moment before the ten seconds lapsed.

The Dragunov bucked against his shoulder, the Russian 7.62mm round exiting the suppressor attached to the end of the barrel milliseconds later. The silencer muffled the sound of the round discharging in the rifle, but did nothing to reduce the _crack_ of the bullet travelling at supersonic speeds. Still, it would require a skilled and observant person to determine where the rifle had been fired. After a couple of moments of flight-time, the round impacted the steel plate with a loud _clang!_ knocking the target over. Keitaro murmured a somewhat unnecessary _"Tango down"_ to confirm the fact.

"_Tango two is just below the military crest of Hill Top Bravo, target mortar tube behind an outcropping, wait for fire command."_ Keitaro quickly moved the rifle back so it was pointed in front of him before focusing on the hill-top in question. The security contractors had given names to different geological features around their camp to make it easier to distinguish between them, and not have to say something like _"the third hill to the right"_ or some such. Looking at the top of the named hill, Keitaro started looking at the level where if a person carefully stood, they would be as far up the hill as they could be without outlining themselves in the sky at the top. After a couple of long moments, Keitaro was able to pick out the dark red steel target with a painted white mortar and sighted in on it, compensating for the increased distance again, about three hundred and fifty meters now. _"On Target._" Controlling his breathing so that the slight movement of his chest would not throw off the shot, the young man took up the slack on the rifle's trigger, staging it so it would only take another couple of pounds of pressure for the weapon to fire and waited. After what seemed like a full minute but was probably fifteen seconds he finally heard the words _"Send It" _over his earpiece. Carefully pulling the trigger, the round fired and the bullet knocked over the plate with a loud "_clang!" _as well. _"Tango down."_ Keitaro reported again.

"_Hold for last target…Stand By…"_ Keitaro waited for a few moments before a frantic transmission came through his ear piece. _"Emergency fire, last tango is the channel buoy, hit the top and ring the bell! Suppressive fire until solid hit, __**nownownow**__!"_ Keitaro blinked at this last target even as he wheeled the Dragunov around and sighted in. The ancient sea buoy was not designed to be a target, although it was in fairly good shape in spite of things. Worse yet, the buoy was moving in two dimensions, both up and down and side to side, as it floated in the water, and the strongest wind in the area was exactly at that spot, as the towering cliffs on either side funneled the sea breeze, not to mention that the range was almost 800 meters, near the maximum effective for the rifle.

"_Firing!"_ Locking on the proper hashmark and chevron and giving himself a decent lead to account for the wind, Keitaro squeezed the trigger, carefully watching through the scope for where the first round impacted. Firing a second shot after moving the scope so the chevron and hashmark where he had seen the round impact was now over the target, he saw that the range and windage was now correct, the only thing left to correct was the movement of the target, as the round had impacted over the buoy as it was at its lowest movement. Taking a deep breath, Keitaro let half of it out as he carefully squeezed the trigger to just before its tripping point, carefully timing the movement of the buoy and lining up the shot so he was aiming two feet above the target as it reached its lowest point and the trigger pressure broke.

With a _crack_, the round fired and the bullet sped outward, reaching the target just as it had reversed itself and reached its highest point of movement. The bullet smacked into the welded plate above the corroded brass bell, the force of the impact sufficient even at that range to knock the buoy over to where it was almost on its side before moving back up into its proper position.

Keitaro blink-blinked. He had not expected to hit the target so quickly. Hell, with all the other factors it was fair to say that hitting the buoy was next to impossible for someone with his apparent skill level. Blinking one more time, Keitaro finally whispered _"Tango down"_ into his radio mike.

"_Bloody hell, mate, you did it! You did it in three shots!"_ There was a short laugh on the earpiece. _"You should see Drago stomping around all pissed off."_

Keitaro flipped the radio switch back to the push-to-talk position before replying. He had a feeling why his Russian colleague was upset. _"How much did you win from Drago?"_

"_Fifty quid and the next trip to town." _Keitaro could almost hear the grin on the Briton's voice. Being in charge of the weekly resupply trip was actually a bigger deal than the money was. Normally the two senior contractors alternated being in charge of trips, with Keitaro tagging along to assist. When Gaz went to town, he could easily talk to the younger man about his experiences in both the military and security contractor worlds. However, when the Russian went to town he would pretty much stay silent throughout the hour and a half long boat trip, and once making port at the town of Thong Sala on the neighboring island of Koh Pha Ngan, toss the supply list to Keitaro and wander off, presumably to his favorite bar. Gaz had been in charge of the last trip, but winning this bet would let him go again this week.

"_What exactly did you bet on?"_ After letting go of the transmit switch, Keitaro pressed the magazine release on the sniper rifle and pulled the partially depleted mag out, replacing it with a full mag from an ammo bag lying next to him.

"_Drago bet that it would take you a full mag at least to hit the buoy, I bet that it would take you five shots. Whoever was closest won. In this case it was me."_

"_Thanks for your confidence in my shooting skills, Sword."_ Keitaro was only partially sarcastic. That last shot had needed a healthy dose of luck, as the big Russian had been right about normally needing a full mag of ten rounds to get close to ranging the target, calling the wind, and adjusting for the target's movement. _"I just used that splash trick with the scope and that cut my time in half, at least."_

"_Good to hear that you remember your lessons, young padawan. Gather your gear and come on down to eat, breakfast is ready. Oh, and you may have someone waiting to meet you along the way."_

"_Solid copy Sword, thanks. Coming down."_ Releasing the radio switch, Keitaro gathered the loose gear around him and packed it in his ammo bag, slinging it over his shoulder and back, the pad and poncho rolled up and tied to the bottom of the bag. Pushing himself to his feet, the young _ronin_ checked to make sure the Dragunov was on safe before slinging the rifle off his left shoulder with the muzzle down, his left hand holding both straps in place while his right hand was free to draw his Glock from his hip holster if need be.

Brushing his bare knees below his cargo shorts clean of dirt and debris, Keitaro flicked at his t-shirt to dust it as well before starting to walk down the faint dirt path leading to the base camp. While he was technically still on guard duty, he was not required to stay at the sniper's post, and in fact was encouraged to walk around, while armed of course. It was up to the guard on duty what weapons they would carry, but when Keitaro was off the hilltop, he would carry an M4 select-fire carbine with a bag full of magazines. The Dragunov and their other spare weapons were kept locked up in an old footlocker secured with a combination lock that only the guards and Seta could open.

Reaching the bottom of the hill, Keitaro moved off the path and started to make his way through the brush as quietly as possible. Considering he was not trying to be completely silent, the young _ronin_ did a passible job of sneaking through the scrub. It only had to be for a few dozen yards, since he was approaching the expected ambush point from behind, the lone figure crouching behind a bush unaware of his approach.

Slowing down even further, the sound of Keitaro's boots moving through the knee-high grass was barely a whisper, indistinguishable from the wind doing the same thing. Finally he came to a halt, a meter and a half away from the blonde teen crouched down with what looked to be a water balloon in her hand, the girl quietly giggling manically to herself.

Standing there for a long moment and thinking of all the things he could do to the teen to startle her, ranging from abruptly screaming, to yanking on one of her blonde pigtails to doing the infamous Wet Willy 'lick your finger and jam it in an unsuspecting victim's ear' trick, Keitaro decided to be nice to the girl… relatively speaking.

"Sarah-chan, time for breakfast," Keitaro said in a normal voice after stepping up one more pace, so he was within arms-reach of the unsuspecting girl. The results were as expected: the blonde girl gave a short shriek and jerked wildly to her feet, the water balloon flying up and out of her hands before falling to the ground and rupturing, barely missing her sandals.

"ARRGG! You jerk, you scared me to death!" Sarah McDougal whirled around and stared daggers at the older male, who was looking back at her with a decidedly unamused expression on his face.

"That is the least worst thing I could have done, Sarah-chan. You attempted to startle someone who is armed. What would have happened if it had been someone who goes around at the ready like Yuri-san?" Keitaro replied evenly. He considered flicking her forehead like Haru-chan sometimes did to him, but given her temperament, there was a good chance she would respond by biting his fingers off and shoving them in an unpleasant place.

Sarah managed not to shudder. Yuri Orlov, call sign Drago, was a former Russian Federation Spetsnaz soldier now working as a free-lance security contractor for the expedition. Yuri did not talk much – in fact when Sarah had first met the man she had though that he was mute – but he was the scariest man she had ever met. With icy blue-grey eyes in his narrow face and dark hair buzzed down into stubble, always wearing camo pants and a red and white striped tank top that showed off his heavily muscled and tattooed arms and shoulders, he looked like a modern day Viking crossed with a biker from back home. But even the bikers didn't go around with a gun belt buckled around his waist laden with knives and ammo, an AK-74 literally held in hand or close to it. In fact, the only time his rifle was not in hand was when it was leaning up against him as he sat down and ate.

"Like I said, time to go eat, Sarah-chan. You go first." Keitaro waved ahead of himself, and Sarah pouted and managed not to stomp her feet. Grumbling under her breath, the young teen stormed off toward the camp, the _ronin_ silently following behind her.

_Later that evening_

"_Ohayo, _Mr. Part-timer." Smiling, Noriyasu Seta offered his subordinate a large steaming mug. Of the four men currently sitting around the camp fire eating dinner only the two Japanese men would drink tea while the other men would drink black coffee. Being former military, they needed large amounts of caffeine to function in the morning, even if tea was part of their home culture.

"_Domo, Sensei._" Keitaro thanked his boss before taking a careful sip from the tin mug. The beverage was black tea, brewed strong with rough brown sugar added for kick. "How much did you get done today?"

"Quite a bit. I've finished clearing the altar area of the temple, and found some more small trinkets. I'm going to start going over the walls with brushes and the UV lights and see what might have been painted there. I don't really expect to find much more at this site, most of the sacrificial items were organic, and with the climate and moisture here, they're pretty much gone by now." Seta sipped at his own mug of tea.

Keitaro nodded in response. Unless the climate of a site would lend toward preserving organic material i.e. flesh and bones from sacrifices, both animal and rarely human, the only artifacts that were to be found at sites like this were items made of stone and pottery clay, with the odd dried out bone or wooden item if the area was not constantly being immersed in rain or sea water. This site was almost exclusively the former, with the largest items found being small bowls and plates, almost all of which were painted with either the signature turtle motif or other sea images. While the Todai professor would go over each inch of ground in the cave with a brush and what was essentially a giant wooden toothpick to remove the dirt and stones around the altar, Keitaro would take any recovered artifacts and try to reconstruct them as well as he could before taking pictures and cataloguing them. The altar itself was in the shape and size of a giant sea turtle, head extended and looking out of the shallow cave it was located in and toward the lagoon and the sea beyond.

And thinking of giant sea turtles, Keitaro turned his head and looked at the most unlikely of their little group. The young islander girl was sitting cross-legged on the ground, eating from a chipped blue metal bowl while her turtle friend lay next to her, contentedly munching on some tender palm fronds. After filling his own bowl with boiled rice and chunks of roast pork, Keitaro sat down between the turtle and Gaz, who was also eating with Yuri sitting on the other side of him. Seta sat down with just his mug of tea next to an oddly silent Sarah, who was sitting next to the other girl.

Keitaro had at first not known what to think of the youngest of their merry band of misfits; Nyamo Namo was slight of build and height, the top of her head barely clearing his shoulder. With darkly tanned skin and waist length unevenly cut black hair, always dressed in ragged jean cut offs and sleeveless shirts, the girl looked more like a kid from one of the villages that dotted the coastline of Thailand rather than the teenaged Pacific Islander that she really was. One thing that lead to the appearance of being so young was her habit of rarely speaking. That was not to say that she could not speak, or that she had problems doing do, Nyamo just had very little to say. On the other hand, she appeared to understand any language she heard.

One night after dinner, Yuri had been cleaning his AK-74 rifle and was cussing to himself under his breath in Russian, apparently having forgotten some needed tool. Slipping away unnoticed, Nyamo reappeared at his side, holding out the needed miniature screwdriver in her hand without saying a word. The big Russian had eyed her for a long moment before taking the tool from her, a gruff '_Spasibo_' (thanks) his only response. His eyes flicked back to her when he heard the faint '_Nyezashta_' (that's all right) as she walked away.

Nyamo had sailed up to their little encampment a couple of hours after Seta, Keitaro and the two mercs had arrived on the island. The men had barely unloaded the old World War II Higgins boat they had arrived in when a single mast sail boat, not much bigger than a row boat, appeared at the bay entrance. A few minutes later, the boat beached itself on the sand and a young ragamuffin jumped out before calmly walking up to the four men staring at her in various stages of curiosity and bemusement. She stopped in front of Seta, who merely grinned, greeted her by name and asked if she was ready to work. Nodding, Nyamo returned to the boat and pulled out a duffle bag before running a rope to a nearby tree, making sure the sail boat would not float off the sand and away. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Nyamo walked over to the clearing the men were setting up their tents at and before the men had their contraptions of nylon and metal poles set up, had built a palm frond and thatched roof hut, complete with curtained off entrance, just big enough for her. Nyamo's hut stayed her own, even after Sarah arrived a couple months ago. This was mainly because the young American girl had a tent of her own, but also because Nyamo worked most of the day while Sarah unenthusiastically studied or tried to help Seta in the dig with limited success. Despite being close in age, the two girls really did not have much in common, and it showed in their interactions, with Nyamo being the 'work work work' girl and Sarah being the 'play play play' girl.

When Keitaro and Gaz asked Seta why he had such a young girl working for him, the Todai professor explained that Nyamo was the granddaughter of an old friend of his, a Pacific Islander that would assist him on his various expeditions. Seta claimed that his old friend could almost smell artifacts, and had worked for him for many years. Nyamo was a chip off the old block, but tragedy had followed her throughout her young life; her father had died in a fishing accident several years before, her mother had died of illness a couple years after, and the grandfather had finally passed on the year before. Self-sufficient to an almost frightening degree, and with no other family to take her in, Nyamo bummed around the islands in her boat, at times being little more than a ghost. When Keitaro had asked about perhaps taking the girl to the authorities or even an orphanage, the other three men turned and stared at the younger man. Seta, serious for once, said in a low voice that with as corrupt things were in Thailand his conscience would not be able to handle it if he turned Nyamo to the authorities. Keitaro, realizing that his boss was referring to the bar girls he had seen in the various Thai towns he had gone through, with some of the girls appearing barely in their teens if that, jerkily nodded and nothing else was ever said about it.

Gidget the giant turtle had shown up a couple days later. Yuri had been napping on the beach under a palm tree after a night of sentry duty when something breathing on his face woke him up. Seeing a huge tortoise's face not less than six inches from his own caused him to almost panic; hearing the giant reptile's happy '_**myuh!**_'greeting caused the Russian merc to practically leap to his feet from his back, scrabbling for his pistol before a laughing Gaz and worried Nyamo stopped him.

Even though Gidget helped the expedition by catching large fish in the ocean and bringing them back to camp for the crew to eat, Yuri never did warm up to her, always muttering in Russian and waving a fork at the turtle. Gidget would almost always then appear to take a sniff of the air and say something in her own language before turning and walking away. After Keitaro realized that Nyamo could understand Gidget, he asked what the tortoise was saying. Nyamo gave a deep blush, before replying in her soft voice that her turtle friend would say something along the lines of "frack him if he can't take joke!"

Yuri's lack of humor was not just about his meeting the giant tortoise. Except for some minor conversations with Gaz, the Russian hardly spoke to anyone, mostly restricting himself to passing needed information to the other men in expedition. He almost never talked to the two younger girls, acting as though they did not exist. When he was not patrolling around the dig site or up at the sniper post, Yuri would either be hunting in the jungle for wild pig to add to their meals (thankfully he would field dress and butcher the meat before bringing it back to the camp) or he would be sitting on one of the boulders on the beach, chain-smoking American Marlboro cigarettes.

On one of the times that Keitaro was on a supply trip with Gaz, the younger man asked if the Briton knew much about their co-worker. Gaz did tell him some things, such as he being the one to recommend to Seta to hire him for the trip, and that he had met the Russian while he was still taking the Queen's shilling. Yuri had been on the same side as Gaz (just barely, the Brit added) and had actually been one of the people that helped rescue him when he had been critically wounded. Before that Yuri had been a member of the Russian Federation's Ministry of the Interior OMON Spetsnaz forces, which is why he constantly wore the red and white striped sleeveless shirts called telynaska. On the rare occasion it became chilly, like at night just before dawn, or he was riding in the open Higgins boat he would wear the battledress shirt to match his camo trousers.

Yuri had served in the Caucasus uprisings in southern Russia, and given what Gaz had hinted at but never outright said, had either seen or been a part of some of the most horrific urban fighting since Stalingrad. The uprising in the Caucasus region spread into the rest of the country, and by the time everything finished with the deaths of the leaders of the Ultranationist faction, much of Russia looked like it had gone through World War II again. Things had gotten so bad in the former Soviet republics that not only were nuclear weapons being sold for the price of a new BMW, one was actually used by a Middle Eastern genocidal maniac on the losing end of an American intervention of his country, resulting in the destruction of not only the country's capital and its population but of a full division of American troops as well.

After the end of the Second Russian Civil War Yuri had left the country and traveled around the Third World, hiring on as a private military contractor, apparently trying to get away from the memories, and never succeeding. The only thing that Yuri had going for him was that he did not drink on the job, as that was a condition of employment to hire on with Seta. He did get some drinks on his resupply trips, but not enough to affect him once he got back to the dig site, especially with Keitaro driving the boat.

Even though the Higgins boat was Pacific War surplus, it had some modern equipment installed such as marine radios, depth finder sonar, and GPS, which allowed the person driving to just program the location and follow the arrows. The engines had been refitted as well, allowing for double its previous speed with little loss of range. Yuri would conk out on the deck with his camo boonie hat over his face while Keitaro steered the boat. Not that the _ronin_ minded; it was actually kind of fun and the sights and smells of the bright blue ocean only added to the experience.

While there were plenty of flora and fauna to observe at sea, Keitaro still had to be on the lookout for predators of the human variety. On occasion, other boats would approach their vessel, supposedly fishing boats, but high speed 'real' fishing vessels were rather rare in this part of the world. At that point the contractor not driving the boat would make himself visible, his assault rifle evident but not pointed at anyone. If the approaching boat still insisted on coming closer, either one of two things would happen. If Gaz or Keitaro were on the gun, they would fire warning shots into the air in front of the incoming boat before aiming at the now sweating pilot, who would then break away. On the one occasion Yuri had been the designated rifleman, he had fired directly at the pilot, his rounds barely missing and going over his head. The pilot had turned so hard and fast to get away he had nearly capsized the boat. Yuri, after catching sight of the look on Keitaro's face, had merely shrugged and stated, "No one died, so good day, yes?" before laying back down again.

Once everyone had finished eating and were working on their beverages, Seta spoke up. "Gaz, since you won your bet with Yuri, you're going to be in charge of the resupply trip tomorrow. Keitaro, you're going with him." Seeing the look on his adoptive daughter's face, he cut her off before she could speak. "And no Sarah, you can't go with them, especially after what happened last time."

Looking from the stern expression on the professor's face to the pouting look on the American girl's, Keitaro was relieved. A few weeks before, after some nagging by the teen, Seta allowed Sarah to go on a resupply trip, and it had turned into a disaster. Yuri had gone off to his bar as soon as they had arrived, and Sarah barely listened to Keitaro in the best of times, so it had not taken very long for the blonde teen to sneak away while the _ronin_ was buying supplies. Almost panicking once he realized the girl was gone, Keitaro had torn up the town looking for Sarah along with Yuri, who was pissed off that his drinking time was being cut into.

When they finally found the girl, she was being led away toward the port's shantytown by some too-smooth Thai teen who had fed her some alcoholic drinks. By this time Keitaro was actually angry, a rarity with the normally good-natured man. So when the _ronin_ had not so politely told the street boy to let the giggly girl go and he laughingly refused, telling him to go find his own whore, Keitaro had punched the guy so hard in the face that the boy had lost teeth and had his jaw broken. Leaving the guy on the ground unconscious and drooling blood, Keitaro dragged a suddenly scared sober Sarah and a silent Yuri back to the boat. Even though they had only gotten half the supplies they had needed, Keitaro immediately cast off the boat from the pier and headed back to camp, deliberately taking the rougher straight route home rather than the calmer curved route. By the time they got to camp Sarah was green due to both sea sickness and the booze she had drank. At one point the girl had thrown up all over herself, and rather than deal with the mess and stink the Russian merc had thrown her overboard, hauling the choking and sputtering girl back onboard after the water washed the mess off. A couple of buckets of seawater to clean the deck later they were off again.

Upon their arrival and seeing the thunderous expression on his protégé's face, Seta knew that things had gone wrong, never mind that fact than they had arrived back at the camp just after noon when they normally did not return until sundown. After he got the full story from Keitaro, Seta was angry as well. After telling a now sick and moaning Sarah that she was restricted to her tent for three days except for meals and washroom breaks, Seta had walked off into the jungle with Yuri and Gaz in tow. After fifteen minutes the still stern professor returned to the camp and went to his tent, Gaz returning a few minutes later, a serious expression on his normally friendly face.

The Russian merc did not return to camp that night, staying out on sentry duty until the next day. Keitaro never did get a full recounting about what had been talked about by the three men, only that Gaz had told him later that Yuri had used up his 'one major fuck-up' because he had been off drinking and shoving the work he was supposed to be doing onto Keitaro. That had contributed to Sarah being able to sneak off, and as a result he was on thin ice with Seta. It was only due to Gaz's intersession and the fact that there was no easy way to replace him that kept Yuri on the job.

Sarah took her punishment with ill-grace, knowing that she had screwed up but not wanting to admit it. The drinking she had done resulted in fractured memories of that day, but one thing she did remember was the angry look on Keitaro's face, a look that almost frightened her more than a similar look on her adoptive father's face. As a result she cut back on her brattiness, which was more a result of her boredom than any real ill will. She also spent more time with Nyamo, who was patiently teaching her some woodcraft and survival skills.

Keitaro spoke up, asking "Is there anything you guys want me to buy besides the regular supplies?" as he pulled out a notepad and pen. He didn't mind picking up personal items while on the trip, as long as it was not too extravagant.

Seta spoke first. "Any decent coffee would be good. No freeze dried crap though." The Todai professor was a coffee aficionado, and their supply of coffee beans had run out that week.

Gaz replied next. "Some good tea, British if you can find it." Keitaro nodded and wrote on his pad. "Yuri wants his usual carton of Marlboro smokes." The Russian nodded his agreement.

Looking toward the youngest members of the team, Keitaro asked, "Nyamo, Gidget, what about you?" The giant tortoise whistled and chirped for a moment, leading the islander girl next to her to softly say, "Gidget wants more canned sardines in tomato sauce. I don't need anything."

After a long moment, Keitaro finally asked the last member of their team, "What do you want, Sarah?" Several looks, those of surprise and embarrassment chased over the blonde teen's face before she finally responded. She thought that the young man did not like her, so she was surprised he had even asked her.

"A box of Hershey bars with almonds, if you can keep them from melting." In Thailand's tropical heat, chocolate bars did not last long. They usually had to be kept on ice in order to preserve their form, and in fact could normally were kept in the freezers in stores.

Keitaro nodded and wrote for a few more moments. Looking up at his coworker, he asked Gaz, "We're leaving after breakfast tomorrow?" Seeing the older merc nod, the _ronin_ looked over at the Russian. "That means I'll take watch tonight, and you'll relieve me at 0400 like normal, correct?" Yuri nodded in response as well. Since the guard who had to stay behind had to be awake all day, one of the others would take the overnight and catch up on his sleep on the boat trip in. Keitaro had taken a nap during the day after lunch, so he was good for an overnight watch.

"OK then, let me grab my gear and I'll get going. Good night everyone, see you at breakfast tomorrow." Dropping his bowl and utensils in the wash pot, Keitaro stepped into his tent and grabbed his overnight pack before switching his M4 for the Dragonov in the supply tent. Making sure he had everything he needed, including drinking water and cold tea, the _ronin_ stepped off toward the jungle trail to the sniper post.

After a few long moments of silence around the fire, someone finally spoke. "Even for someone without the proper training, there is a young man that would make a decent officer." Coming from Gaz, this was no small praise, having worked with both the best and the worst that the British military had to offer.

"It comes from his blood. His family comes from a long line of samurai nobility." Seta was swirling the contents of his cup before taking a drink.

"I thought he said he was _ronin_." Gaz had a rare skill in the military, the ability to quickly learn languages and accents. Give him two weeks instruction and with his tanned skin, dark hair and eyes and proper attire he could pass for a native in almost any part of the world. That skill had been the reason why Gaz had entered special operations, first doing undercover work with 14 Intelligence Company in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, then with the Special Air Service proper. But while Gaz would become fluent in a language, he could still have problems with minute parts of the culture or slang involved.

"Originally _ronin_ meant masterless samurai, but in modern Japan it means that someone that failed to make it into his choice of university, or someone who was laid off a job at one of the big companies. Mr. Part-timer messed up on his uni entrance exam, but he's make it next time." Seta and the other men had no doubt about that, given they had all seen Keitaro studying his books when he was not doing expedition work, with Seta sometimes helping out. "Part of the problem was that Keitaro was testing for the University of Tokyo, the equivalent of your Oxford or Harvard in America. Any other uni would snap him up, but he has his heart set on Todai. Something about a promise."

"What kind of promise?" To their surprise, it was Sarah who asked the question.

Seta though for a moment before he chuckled to himself. "You know, I don't think he ever went into detail about that. All I know is that is one very dedicated young man, and I'm glad I know him. Besides, it's helping me get back together with his aunt, my old girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Sarah asked, both curiosity and jealousy coloring her new question.

Seta chuckled again. "Don't worry, you'll meet her once we get back to Japan." Draining his cup, Seta stood up. "Sarah, Nyamo, bed-time. Gentlemen, have a good night, I still have reports to write." Refilling his tea mug, Seta walked back to his tent, the Coleman lantern already lit over his writing desk. Everyone else stood up and wandered back to their tents.

* * *

><p><em>AN2: Sorry that it took so long for me to update this story. It had always been a pet peeve of mine for authors to not finish their stories, and here I was doing the same thing. I only have two real defenses for this happening, and the tired cliché of 'real life' is not one of them.<em>

_1 - I came down with a serious case of apathy and I didn't care about much for a while. This may have been a delayed reaction to losing a close relative some time ago, but I could not summon the energy to write. I've been feeling better lately, and I am finding it easier to write again._

_2 - Microsoft. Yes, I am blaming MS for my writers block. You see, last year I got a new laptop and it had MS Office Starter 2010 on it, which means it had a basic Word program with MS banner ads that could not be removed. Not only would a new copy of Word cost me over a hundred bucks, I would have to pay a yearly license fee! Needless to say, it affected my enthusiasm to write somewhat. However, I couple of weeks ago I found the CD for MS Word 2007, which I promptly DL'd to my new computer. I've been writing a lot better now._

_I just took a look at the stats pages, and I am heartened to see that there are still many people reading this story. As of 2200 07Jul2013 there have been 376,671 Hits, 537 Reviews, 802 Favorites, 723 Alerts, and 55 C2s._

_To readers in the Mid East or Russia, I did not mean to offend anyone with some of the in-story descriptions of those regions. However, this story contains elements of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare universe, including characters and events. Some very bad things happened in those stories, and I borrowed some of them for this story. However, I'm not going to go into a great deal of detail, as it is not important to this story._

_BTW, there is a picture of a sunrise in Thailand that Keitaro would have seen being used as the FF Net story book cover - go check it out._

_Many thanks to PCHeinz and AZMarkII for their betaing of this chapter._

_Next up in the story line, the expedition gets hit by pirates, some characters die and are taken, and we get to see even more of a hidden bad-ass._


	39. Chapter 39

Ch 39

V 1.5

**_A/N 1: There is no real excuse for my having delayed updating this story, just three weak ones, which I will talk about at the end of the chapter. However, I've been getting antsy to write again, and since I've gotten encouragement in an unexpected form, I was able to finish up this chapter in about a week and a half. As a form of making up for this unwarrantable delay, I have some humorous omakes at the end of this chapter._**

_Five nautical miles off Koh Tao Island, _  
><em>Surat Thani Province, <em>  
><em>Gulf of Thailand <em>  
><em>Early July<em>  
><em>mid afternoon<em>  
><em>(two months before story start)<em>

There was an old sailor's saying to the effect that '_Red in the morning, sailors take warning; red at night, sailors' delight'_. It had to do so with the color of the sky when the sun rose and set. Sky colors were affected by the amount of atmospheric moisture and debris in the air, and the premise was that while having a colorful sunset was a good thing, watching the morning sky turn red due to an oncoming storm was never was. This morning had been beautiful, the sight of the crimson sun reflecting off the clouds in the darkened sky known as _akatsuki_ in Japanese. However, the aching feeling that had begun at the start of the day in the _ronin's_ gut just would not go away.

Keitaro Urashima was pushing the Higgins boat as hard as he dared. There was a medium breeze blowing over the choppy sea, but thankfully the wind was blowing at an angle and toward their destination. Gaz Shaw sat in one of the old machine gun tubs set in the side of the boat, his eyes focused forward and far ahead, the butt of his Colt Commando carbine resting against his thigh, while Ketaro's M4A1 was slung across his back, both weapons fully loaded. There was nothing to look at; they were at least a half hour away from their island, but that same feeling had been picked up by the British merc, and the war-weary vet knew better than to dismiss such instincts out of hand.

The day had started much like others before; Keitaro came down from the sniper nest to scrounge up his breakfast of porridge, fresh fruit, and strong black tea before meeting Gaz at the Higgins boat. The Brit had already run the necessary engine and hull checks, and was therefore at the helm and iding the engine when Keitaro finished eating. The _ronin_ waded through the knee-deep water and tossed his pack into the boat before pulling himself into the vessel. Turning around, Keitaro waved toward the shore as the Higgins boat was backed off the sand by Gaz. The people on shore waved back, save Yuri who had already disappeared into the jungle. But somehow the sight of Seta-sensei, Sarah, and Nyamo waving good bye caused something thing to clench in his gut. Keitaro told himself that the remaining party was, if not perfectly safe, at least adequately armed with pistols and assault rifles, which was enough to deal with most situations. Even the girls had been familiarized with a couple of Markarov pistols and fired a couple dozen rounds through them. Seta had put his foot down and insisted when Nyamo had initially refused, the island girl having shown a scary level of skill with her fixed blade fishing knife when demonstrating against an at first amused then rapidly dodging Gaz. Nyamo still only carried her knife, and left her pistol in her bedroll, while Sarah carried hers stuffed in the side pocket of her cargo shorts along with a folding Buck knife. Some nights after dinner Nyamo taught Sarah how to fight with a knife, having learned from her grandfather, who in turn had learned during his youth in the Philippines from some of the deadliest knife fighters in the world.

That feeling had only gotten worse as the day had gone by. The expedition's weekly resupply trips to Koh Samui was something that the locals had gotten used to, but the men took precautions anyway. They chained the boat to the dock and disabled the engine before slipping half of a U.S. fifty dollar bill to the dockmaster to make sure they still had a boat to come back to. They would walk around town fully armed, even if they were discreet about it. Pistols were holstered under untucked shirts and their rifles were carried collapsed and inside gym bags slung across their backs. Sure, they had national government permits to carry firearms, but it got expensive to pay off every uniformed nitwit who was trying to scrape together that day's lunch money.

The thing that was different that day was that looks they were getting. They were used to the angry and greedy looks from street criminals that most westerners were the recipients of (after one broken wrist suffered by a pickpocket, a kick to the groin received by an armed robber that learned the hard way that a person with only a knife should not attempt to hold up a man with a gun, and Sarah's former little friend) most criminals stayed the hell away from them, but today there were thin smiles, and even some chuckles directed at them, something that was putting the hair on the back of Keitaro's neck on end, a feeling his older compatriot was sharing. And after the third time Keitaro and Gaz saw those looks aimed at them, they made an unspoken decision to get the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible. They worked as fast as they could, but they were only able to trim an hour or so off their normal time before heading for home.

Studying the instruments, Keitaro could see that they had a three-quarters full tank of gas, the engine temp was running at about half-way to the red zone, and that the speed was at about as fast as they could go without the turbos kicking in and massively increasing their fuel consumption. They had topped off the fuel tank when they had first arrived, and while a tank of gas would cover three trips between the islands, they really could not afford to push it.

"Keitaro, heads up! I think I see something ahead, eleven o'clock!" Gaz's call snapped his head up to see the Brit let his weapon fall onto its sling and grab a pair of binoculars. Focusing ahead, the older man was silent for a long moment before suddenly swearing. "It looks like a smoke column, check our course and location!"

Looking down at the GPS Keitaro could see that they had been blown slightly off course by the wind and the waves. Nudging the steering wheel over so they were on course again, his heart sank upon seeing that they were heading right for the faint smoke trail he could now see. "Gaz, smoke is right on our course, dead ahead!"

Gaz cursed again before suddenly quieting and focusing on something with the binoculars, something off to the side of the smoke ahead of them. "We have a second contact, speed boat, it's moving away from the smoke, it looks like it's going to pass to our port side, range 200 meters." Focusing even more intently, Gaz was quiet for thirty seconds, Keitaro slowly nudging the throttle forward before the Brit burst out in a stream of vulgarities that made his prior curses sound like a Sunday school lecture. "Go-fast boat, only two people I can see aboard, they're pirates! They're moving like a bat out of hell, these fuckers don't work alone. They probably just left the island, punch it, all ahead flank!"

Keitaro's heart-rate felt like it had doubled as he jammed the throttle to the stops. Looking at the gauges, he backed it up a bit to keep the engine from burning out. But the speed indicator was still in the red zone, even if it wasn't against the far side peg. Punching the GPS recycle location button, he waited until the new location, course and speed was calculated relative to their destination. Seeing the numbers finally come up, Keitaro called out, "Gaz, ETA 9 minutes!"

"Copy that!" Gaz was digging through one of the duffle bags they had stored in the boat lockers. "Get on the horn, try to contact Seta or Yuri, we should be in range!"

"Copy!" Keitaro echoed as he flicked the frequency channels on the marine radio. Given they only had one hardwired radio in the boat, they usually left it tuned to the international emergency channel, VHF 16, since the radios they had at the camp had a range of only five miles over open water, a range that the Higgins boat had just passed. Grabbing the handheld mike and clicking the transmit button, Keitaro began the standard radio cant. **"Ronin to base, Ronin to base, do you copy? Respond ASAP, sighted possible pirates near base, give status!" **After repeating himself two more times, Keitaro shouted toward the Brit, "Gaz, no response!"

"Bugger!" Gaz was finished strapping the armor plate carrier on his torso, pulling the Velcro tight. Slinging his Commando onto his back, he moved over and took the wheel from Keitaro. "I've got the helm, go and armor up! Weapons check too!"

Keitaro moved forward, kneeling down and pulling his armor vest from the bag. While not military grade body armor, the specially hardened steel armor plate inserts would stop multiple hits with 7.62mm NATO armor piercing rounds. The carrier could be concealed under a loose shirt, but the main problem with the vest was their weight; with both front and back plates inserted, plus rifle mag pouches across the front, the damned thing weighed almost 20 kilos (44 pounds). Therefore, the contractors and Keitaro would only put them on when they were expecting trouble.

Slapping the last Velcro strap in place, Keitaro checked the ammo pouches across his stomach, making sure the mags were in place, before pulling his Glock pistol out from under the side band of the vest, checking the chamber before securing the pistol in the holster attached to the vest over his belt holster, then doing the same with the pistol mags on the opposite side. Pulling his M4 toward him, he cracked the chamber and verified there was a round chambered before tapping the forward assist to make sure the bolt was fully closed and slinging the carbine over his chest.

"Keitaro, catch!" Turning around, the _ronin_ caught the mini walkie-talkie Gaz tossed him, along with the single wire earpiece/mike attached to it. Securing the radio in a pouch high up on his shoulder, Keitaro inserted the earpiece and turned the unit on after verifying the correct channel was set. "No word from the island, Gaz?" he asked into the radio, both checking it to make sure it was working and asking for info.

"Nothing! I even put out a call for any police or military near-by, and of course the bastards aren't answering." While the Royal Thai Navy was fairly honest, they tended to be overworked, and the less said about the local constabulary, the better especially since most of the local authorities were either moonlighting as pirates or taking cuts to not interfere or were related to the pirates. "Look, I'm going to beach the boat off to the side of the bay but still in sight of the camp, if there's any tangos I'm going to draw their fire. Just before I hit the edge of the water you bail out and get your arse in the jungle, move through the bush and flank the camp. If you see anyone you think you can take, do so, otherwise try to go around or fall back and try to reengage with me. Make sure that radio pouch of yours is fully closed, the radio is supposed to be water proof, but..." Here Gaz stopped speaking as Keitaro pulled his wallet from his hip pocket, opened it and studied a picture inside for a long moment, then opened the radio pouch and jammed it inside before resealing the pouch. Taking off his eyeglasses, the young man placed them in an identical pouch on the opposing side of his carrier and secured it as well. Looking back up to the older man, Keitaro's expression was decidedly impassive. "Any questions, mate?"

"Rules of engagement?" Under the rules they normally operated under, the mercs and Keitaro would not fire directly on someone without being fired upon first, Yuri's warning shots not withstanding. This was a completely different situation, however.

Gaz hesitated for a moment. "Red." That meant anyone holding a weapon and not one of them would be considered an enemy combatant, even if they were not firing at anyone. Anyone assisting an enemy combatant in illegal acts, even if unarmed themselves, would be considered a combatant as well. They would probably be outnumbered and away from help, so even if they dropped their weapons, the bad guys would be fired upon as soon as necessary. "This is now a black flag op."

"No prisoners?" Keitaro asked softly and Gaz shook his head. They had no way or time to secure prisoners, not when they had people they were trying to save. "OK," the _ronin_ simply said. Turning his head, he could see they were fairly close to the narrow entrance to the bay. The smoke column was now clearly visible, and the source of it was the camp, which looked to be completely in flames. Above the roar of the engine the two men could now hear the crackle of rifle fire, some of it undisciplined auto weapons fire, the rest of it single shots. Two beat up speed boats were beached to the left of the camp and one to the right, with drag marks on the sand indicating that the earlier fleeing boat had been there as well. The pirates had apparently done a simultaneous flanking attack on the camp, splitting the defenders fire into two directions while concentrating their own. With anywhere from two to four pirates per boats, it was actually a surprise that the defenders where still in action.

"Say when you want me to bail." About to move toward the bow, Keitaro halted when he felt the other man's hand on his shoulder. "Godspeed, mate."

Glancing back at the Brit, Keitaro replied "This life or the next." _We'll meet again, _he left unsaid. Once Gaz let him go, the _ronin_ moved forward and crouched down, only his eyes and the top of his head above the steel edge of the bow.

"You're going to be going over the port side, get ready Keitaro," Gaz called out. For a moment the Brit had an odd thought - his grandfather had been with the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War, and while he never did talk much about his service, Gaz had happened upon a scrap book filled with pictures from the war. From the notation below one of the photos, it was a landing craft filled with American soldiers approaching a beach during the invasion of Okinawa. All the soldiers were facing away from the camera, all of them were wearing helmets and field packs, weapons in hands, but they all had the same tense, stiff posture that Keitaro was now showing as he peered at the onrushing shore. It was ironic because the young man was Japanese and his relatives probably fought on the other side during the war, but it only went to show how some things were always the same, no matter the race or nationality. But right now Keitaro yanked his weapon sling so his carbine was tight against his chest and then gripped the side of the boat with both hands.

"Ten seconds, lad." The boat was rushing across the bay at its full speed of nearly 35 knots, the hull lifting up out of the shallow water to make sure it would clear the sandy bottom, especially since Gaz was not approaching by the deeper center channel. The Brit also wanted to make sure the water was as shallow as possible when Keitaro left the boat; the last thing they needed was for him to be pulled down by his armor and gear into water over his head and drown.

"Five seconds…" The shore was fifty yards away and closing. Forty… thirty… twenty… ten… "NOW!" Rolling over the rail, Keitaro pulled himself over the side and disappeared into the foaming white water, any sound produced covered by the roar of the engine.

Less than five seconds later the Higgins boat loudly scrapped onto the sand and was almost immediately greeted by a hail of gunfire. Gaz cut the engines and dove down to the deck of the boat, hearing bullets pinging off the sides and bow. As the boat was at a slight angle to the beach, the British merc went over to the side of the craft so he was protected.

Peering through a ropeline opening in the hull, Gaz could see at least two shooters firing on him with what looked to be AK type rifles, the rounds spanging and whining off the hull of the boat. Drawing his Browning Hi-Power from his belt holster (the opening was too small to accurately fire through with his rifle) the merc began to fire back, his rounds missing their intended targets, but driving the shooters behind cover.

Seeing a narrow window of opportunity, Gaz rolled over the top of the far side of the hull, out of the line of fire of the shooters. Landing on his butt in ankle deep water, the Brit scrambled up and toward the bow of the boat. Holstering his pistol, Gaz loosened the sling of his carbine and brought it up to the ready before warily looking around the edge of the bow. Seeing a shooter not fully behind cover, he took careful aim with the Chinese knockoff ACOG sight mounted on top of the carbine and fired a short burst of rounds. He was rewarded by a startled and pained yelp as the shooter fell to the ground, at the very least wounded by 5.56mm hollow points.

Hearing what sounded like two different people chattering in Thai, Gaz figured that one of the shooters was trying to help his wounded compatriot. Seeing his chance, he sprinted from behind the boat toward the tree line a few meters away (or trying to sprint, relearning something every marine and special ops trooper knew from bitter experience – running through sand **sucked**). The older man managed to get behind some tree trunks before he was seen and the bad guys started firing on him again.

Kneeling behind a thick palm tree, Gaz flipped the selector switch on his carbine to single shot and began to return fire, aiming at what little he was able to see of his opponents. After firing three or four rounds, Gaz would move to another tree, gradually working his way toward the shooters flank. The bad guys, not being complete idiots, tried to match his movements, but considering that the cover they had was only a few boulders on the beach, while Gaz had an entire grove of trees to pick from, it was only a matter of time before the former trooper had a clear shot and took it, resulting in a pink mist exploding from a shooter's head before his body collapsed. Seeing his buddy now dead, the other shooter shrieked in Thai again before taking off running to rejoin his other partners in crime.

Replacing the almost empty magazine in his carbine with a full one, and then doing the same with his pistol, Gaz began to move through the grove carefully, his carbine at the ready, heading toward the sound of rifle fire. Sounds that had actually reduced in the last few minutes. Even with the two shooters that he had engaged with, it sounded like there were fewer people firing now. Gaz wondered how much of it was the bad guys running low on ammo –not an uncommon thing for untrained gunmen – and how much of it was due to his younger companion. Only one way to find out.

* * *

><p>Keitaro hit the water and immediately sank to the sandy bottom of the lagoon. Luckily the water was only three feet deep, so it was not a problem to flop around so he was on his hands and knees and slowly push himself up so his head broke through the surface, stopping when he was at chin level. Quickly looking around, Keitaro could see that the coast near him was relatively (and ironically almost literally) clear. Fifty meters to his side he could see the Higgins boats beached on the sand, Gaz awkwardly running across the sand toward the tree line, making it to cover before the bad guys started shooting at him.<p>

Moving toward the beach, Keitaro loosened the sling on his carbine before grasping the pistol grip. His head swiveling from side to side, he brought the butt of the carbine to his shoulder but kept the muzzle low as he moved from one hand and two knees to one knee, then onto his feet while still in a low crouch, the waves still lapping around him. Remembering what Gaz had told him about combat swimmer operations, Keitaro reached to the charging handle and pulled it back slightly, cracking the chamber open so that any water in the barrel could more easily run out. Shooting a firearm with water trapped in the barrel could be a bad thing – the increase in pressure as the round tried to force itself through non-compressible water instead of compressible air could cause the gun to at the very least jam to the worst case of having either the receiver or the barrel blow up. He also checked the muzzle to make sure he had not jammed it into the sand and plugged the barrel that way.

Bring the rifle to low ready, Keitaro scanned the beach again before moving clumsily through the sand toward the tree line. Ducking behind a thick tree trunk, the young _ronin_ listened to the continuing rifle fire as he quickly managed to get his breathing under control. It appeared as though the gun fight Gaz had gotten involved in nearby had finished, while the rifle fire further up the beach was still continuing.

Still keeping his head moving, Keitaro pulled his glasses out of the water-proof pouch and put them on after pushing his wet hair up and back. Taking out a valved ear plug he put it in his unprotected ear, the radio earpiece serving the same purpose in the opposing ear (gun fire with no hearing protection in place was at the least very painful and at most permanently deafening). Finally he reached up to the push-to-talk button on his mike and double tapped it three times in a row, sending a series of clicks to the other radios on the frequency without the risk of giving away the listener's location. After a few moments that seemed to last a lot longer, he got a response, Gaz's terse voice coming through his earpiece. **"This is Sword, go ahead."**

**"Ronin here, I'm on the beach and behind cover. No contact, what about you?" **Keitaro kept his voice low, the induction mike in his earpiece capable of picking up even sub-vocal vibrations from his throat

**"Engaged two tangos, one confirmed down, one possible wounded. The bugger ran back to his mates, they probably know we're here now."** Gaz paused for a few moments before speaking in Japanese. **_"Don't use specifics, but remember the way from the nest? You may want to take a look-see."_**

Keitaro understood what the older merc was doing. There was a chance the pirates may have captured one of their radios and therefore listening to their current conversation. Gaz could speak and understand at least basic level Japanese, and the chances of any hostile eavesdroppers understanding the language was less than likely.

**_"Copy that."_ **Taking a deep breath, Keitaro brought his carbine up to high ready and started moving from tree to tree, pausing and looking around after arriving behind each tree he was using his cover. While carefully looking around, it only took the young _ronin_ a few minutes to come up to the footpath the members of the expedition had worn into ground between the sniper's nest and the camp. Even so, Keitaro knew better than to walk on the path; instead he replicated what he had done when sneaking up to Sarah the other day, walking a few feet away yet parallel to the path. He managed to find the path where it transitioned from the hillside to level ground, and cautiously moved through the undergrowth, his eyes and the muzzle of his carbine constantly sweeping around him, the sounds of gunfire getting louder with each step.

It was not until he had gotten within 25 meters of the camp perimeter that Keitaro was able to find the first hostile. A man wearing a ragged t-shirt and shorts was standing behind a thick tree trunk and taking shots at the camp with what looked to be an AK-47. Every few shots he would take a quick look behind himself before returning his attention to the camp and firing again, but after a half a minute of watching, Keitaro could see that the pirate was not moving from his position behind the tree. Further beyond the shooter was a second pirate, kneeling behind another tree and firing as well. This second shooter was at the edge of the tree line next to the camp; it was only ten meters of open ground to where the tents were set up, but in that clear area were two crumpled bodies dressed the same as the pirates, presumably gunned down when they rushed the camp. On the other side of the tents, which were either shot up, collapsed, on fire, or all three, was the opening to the excavation cave, where Keitaro could see was where the pirates were directing their fire. More gunfire could be heard further along the perimeter of the camp, although no other shooters could be seen, and weapons fire was coming out from the cave toward the pirates. Presumably that was where the defenders were bunkered down. Just as Keitaro reached up and tapped his comm button, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

**_"This is Sword, go ahead,"_** the British merc replied a moment later.

**_"This is Ronin, I'm in position,"_** Keitaro murmured in a low voice. **_"I have line of sight on two hostiles, one ten meters away, the other twenty meters, both of them firing on the cave. I can hear gunfire from at least two other weapons out of sight but closer to you, and return fire coming from the cave. There are two dead bad guys on the ground in the camp."_** Here Keitaro paused for a moment before continuing in a flat tone. **_"I can also see a blood trail and drag marks at the mouth of the cave."_**

Gaz responded after a few moments. **_"Copy that. I have the other two shooters in my view. I don't see any more bad guys. Do you have clean shots on your targets?"_**

**_"The one closest to me, yes. The second one is a fair distance farther and has partial cover. If I take out one, the other one is going to hear and move behind solid cover and start firing on me and we will wind up in an impasse_**," Keitaro replied.

Moments later came Gaz's response. **_"Do you think you can get close enough to take out the first shooter quietly?"_**

Keitaro paused. Since the contractors did not have suppressors on their weapons, Gaz meant taking out taking out the pirate hand-to-hand. **_"Yes, I can do that. Give me about ten minutes to get close."_**

**_"Ok then. Take out the first pirate quietly, and then let me knew before you go loud on the second. If I don't hear from you in fifteen minutes…" _**Gaz paused and then spoke again in English. **_"_Godspeed, mate_."_**

**"_Domo_." **Letting go of the comm button, Keitaro carefully moved his carbine on its sling so it was hanging against his back and out of his way. Drawing his Glock pistol, he cracked the slide to make sure the barrel was clear of water before letting it go back into battery. Leaving the pistol in his right hand, he then drew his field knife from his vest sheath with his left hand. Ironically made by Glock as well (it had been one of its first military products before they went into the firearms business), the blackened carbon steel blade was almost 170mm long and frightfully sharp; after going over the knife with a carbide steel sharpener, Keitaro had almost given himself a not-so-minor nick checking the edge.

Moving as stealthily as he could, Keitaro moved from tree to tree, slowly getting closer to the oblivious pirate, the pistol pointed at the bad guy with one hand in case he turned unexpectedly, the knife held in a reverse grip against his forearm in the other with the shooting hand braced on top of the opposite wrist. The pirate would look behind himself every twenty seconds or so, which Keitaro used by moving right after the pirate would look forward again and start firing.

Finally Keitaro was two long steps behind and to the side of the shooter. Moving as slowly as practical, the young _ronin_ holstered his pistol but left the strap unsnapped before transferring the knife to his right hand. Holding the knife in a saber grip with the blade pointed forward and the edge down, Keitaro whispered something soundlessly before taking a deep breath and surging forward.

Grabbing the man's head across his eyes with his left hand and simultaneously yanking back and down, Keitaro pulled the bad guy back against him with his neck fully exposed. A split second later, the blade was plunged into the side of the neck and savagely ripped forward, severing the right side carotid artery, jugular vein, and the trachea; the only sounds produced being the soft whistling of air escaping the windpipe and the gurgling of blood spraying from the torn high pressure blood vessels. The blood splattered over the tree bark and plant leaves before the pressure dropped to where it merely spilled over his rifle and clothes. After jerking about for a few moments, the pirate slowly relaxed and finally went limp.

Taking a couple of quick swipes across the dead man's shirt to get the blood off the blade, Keitaro sheathed the knife and slowly lay the body down on the ground. Giving the pirate a quick once over, he could see that he had no other weapons besides what looked to be a crude short bladed machete in his belt. Deliberately not looking at the dead man's face, Keitaro took the blade and threw it into the jungle. The AK had it's mag pulled and chamber cleared, and he threw those in opposite directions as well.

Looking at his hands, Keitaro was not surprised to see them trembling visibly. Taking a deep breath he concentrated, and a few moments later his hands were steady again. Thankfully, there was no blood on his hands, at least physically. The young _ronin_ had no desire to reenact that Lady MacBeth scene.

Snapping his pistol holster shut now that he knew he would not be need to use it right now, Keitaro brought his carbine around from his back and set the butt against his shoulder. Peering around the tree and through the iron sights, he could see that the second pirate was still firing at the cave. Reaching up and clicking his comm mike to voice activation, Keitaro settled his sights on the middle of the pirate's back and spoke softly again. **_"Sword, Ronin. Hostile One is down, have Hostile Two in my sights. Say when ready."_**

Gaz replied a few seconds later. **_"Sword ready, be ready in case one of my hostiles does a runner toward you. Count to three. Ready?"_** Keitaro murmured an affirmative and snugged his carbine tighter against his shoulder, the front sight centered between the pirate's shoulder blades, fire selector on full auto, finger lightly on the trigger. **_"One… two…"_** Slight trigger press. **_"Three."_ **The carbine kicked slightly as four 5.56mm rounds discharged, the bullets speeding at 940 meters per second before slowly dramatically as they punched through the pirate's torso. The man wavered and stopped firing, but stayed upright. Three more rounds were rapidly fired at the man's head before the pirate fell face first against the tree he had been taking cover behind.

Keitaro waited for a long moment before he spoke into his radio, his eyes constantly moving, searching for new targets. **_"Sword, Ronin. Hostile Two down. No other hostiles visible. What's your status?"_**The sudden silence after all that gunfire was more than a little disconcerting. Which was why the young man was glad to hear the response shortly thereafter.

**_"Ronin, Sword. My two hostiles are down, one of them tried to run but didn't get far. I don't see or hear any other hostiles, I think that's all of them."_ **Gaz switched toward English as he continued to speak. **"Advance into the camp, search for survivors from either side. Keep your head on a swivel, and for god's sake stay out of the line of fire of the cave until we confirm our identity to them, the last thing I want is a blue-on-blue."** He meant a friendly fire incident, where someone accidentally shot someone on their side.

**"Ronin copy." **Moving carefully from around the tree he was behind, Keitaro slowly walked into the now smoldering camp, his eyes and his carbine muzzle tracking together. Approaching the two dead pirates on the open ground near the camp, the young contractor could see they were definitely dead, laying in sizable blood puddles with eyes fixed open and bloody through-and-through wounds on their backs.

Walking cautiously toward the cave, Keitaro saw the British merc emerge from the tree line, his carbine sweeping back and forth as he advanced toward the cave as well. Coming to a halt a few feet from the edge of the cave opening, he saw his fellow contractor do the same on the opposite side.

Turning to face the cave entrance, Gaz called into the cave even while holding his Commando at low ready. "Drago, Sensei, it's Ronin and Sword, confirm status!"

One long moment dragged out before a weak and ragged voice replied. "Drago, Star." The word was an identity challenge, with each member of the expedition having a unique response.

Gaz immediately called back, "Sword, Dog!" He gestured towards Keitaro, who quickly gave his response.

"Ronin, Dragon!" He did not move, as Gaz had a hand up.

"Drago, reconfirm status!" It was now Yuri's turn to confirm his own identity.

A chuckle and what sounded like a wet cough came before the reply. "Drago, White Sky." The second phrase was a duress code, to warn his compatriots if he was a prisoner or being forced to cooperate with a hostile. "Now get your asses in here, Seta's hurt."

His heart suddenly leaping into his throat, Keitaro rushed into the cave, although he still had the presence of mind to keep his carbine at low ready. Gaz followed a moment later, keeping an eye open behind him regardless.

The excavation cave was normally fairly dark, with light entering only through the entrance and a small opening on the roof of the cave. Battery powered work lights would be used to illuminate the area, but there was none of those on at the moment. Keitaro reached into one of the pouches of his vest and pulled out a tactical light. Flicking it on, the young man sucked in a breath at what he saw.

The turtle altar was in the middle of the cave, set slightly offside to the entrance. Leaning against the back wall and seated on the ground with a line of sight to the entrance was Yuri Orlov. The Russian merc had one hand up to shield his eyes from the flashlight and the other holding his AK-74, the muzzle moving away from the cave opening. Sweeping the light around, Keitaro almost missed seeing the crumpled figure on the far side of the turtle altar, a slight figure crouched next to it.

Moving quickly, Keitaro dropped down to his knees next to Noriyasu Seta. The older man looked like hell; his khaki shirt was stained with blood, and torn open, with thick soaked bandages applied to his chest. There were more bandages wrapped around his lower right leg, with a tourniquet applied just below the knee. Seta's face was pale and sweating, pain apparent even though he was unconscious. Bent over Seta was Nyamo, who's hands and clothes were covered with blood as she maintained pressure on Seta's chest.

Placing the tac light on the altar, Keitaro began inspecting Seta's wounds as Gaz entered the cave. Moving over to his fellow contractor, the Brit pulled out a light of his own and started looking the other man over, asking "What the hell happened, Yuri?"

The Russian merc coughed, a nasty wet sound apparent. "Speak up man, I'm damn near deaf here." The sounds of gunfire in a confined cave would deafen anyone without hearing protection. As Gaz repeated himself, Keitaro could see that Nyamo had jammed what looked like chewed up paper into her ears to protect her hearing. "We got jumped. The _mudaks_ must have been dropped off further up the beach and humped it across the jungle, we didn't hear anything until they opened fire. Seta was in the cave and didn't have his rifle, I was in the jungle looking for pig, and the girls were alone in the camp. As soon as the girls saw the _khui_ Sarah started screaming and firing her pistol, Seta and I ran to the camp and the _mudaks_ lit us up. Seta was hit in the chest and the crazy _durak_ kept charging, then they hit him in the leg and he went down. I had to pull him back to the cave under fire, I caught a couple rounds myself. Finally we got to the cave, and Nyamo had to help me haul Seta inside. I had to tell her how to bandage Seta, I was too busy keeping the _mudaks_ out of the cave. Good thing you get here when you did, I was down to two mags," Yuri finished up.

"Where were you hit, Yuri?" Gaz played his light over his compatriot, and even though there was blood all over the red and white striped telnyashka, there was no wound apparent.

"Here." Unbuckling the magazine carrier harness he was wearing, Yuri pulled it open to show packed bandages that had been held in place behind it. Moving the bloody fabric aside, he ripped the shirt open using the now visible bullet holes to show slowly oozing wounds in his abdomen and his lower left chest.

"_Yob tvoyu mat._" This time it was Gaz that cussed in Russian.

Yuri laughed and coughed again, blood visible at his lips now. "One of those _yeblans_ must have nicked my spine, my legs don't work right. That's why I'm sitting here and Nyamo was treating Seta, I can't move around much anymore. I think that _yeblan_ nicked my lung as well. I'm fucked, Gaz, one way or the other."

"We can get you to medical care, Yuri, just hang on for a while longer." Gaz reached for his med kit but the other man reached out and stopped him.

"Gaz, I'm done. Get Seta to a hospital, I think that chest wound pierced his lung. I had Nyamo slap plastic over the wound after cutting open a Quik-Clot and pouring it into the wounds but he can't last for too long. You might have to give him a field transfusion, he's probably a liter low now." The expedition members all knew their blood types; Keitaro and Seta had compatible types, so Gaz, who had paramedic level medical training from his time in the SAS, would be able to transfuse the wounded man.

The next words that Yuri spoke made everyone in the cave freeze. "Is Sarah with you?" Slowly turning toward the Russian, everyone stared at Yuri as he continued talking. "We got split up in camp, last I saw she was running into the jungle, you found her?"

"No, we thought she was with you!" exclaimed Keitaro, straightening up from working on Seta. "We didn't see any sign of her!"

"Last I saw, she was running in the direction of the sniper nest, both me and Seta where already hit by that point, she would have had to run through the main group of _mudaks_ to relink with us." Yuri coughed again, with more blood spraying from his mouth. "Now that the _gads_ are dead and the shootings over, she'll come back to the camp. You might have to go look for her though."

"Gaz, I've done as much as I can for Seta-sensei, I'm going to look for Sarah-chan. You need me for anything more?" Gaz shook his head, but just as Keitaro got to his feet, everyone noticed something that they had never heard before; a strange sound getting louder, something that was a cross between an animal call and… crying?

Turning toward the cave entrance, everyone could see the outline of a giant turtle, the sound coming from it. Moving slowly into the illumination of the contractors' flashlights, it became clear it was Gidget. The turtle was moving slowly with its head down, and it was instantly obvious that the turtle was crying.

"Gidget, what's wrong?!" Keitaro had a terrible feeling begin to grow in his chest.

The giant turtle began to chirp and whistle, the normally cheerful sounds now drawn out and mournful. Seconds later, Nyamo dropped to her knees next to the turtle's head, frantically whistling and chirping in response. After about thirty seconds of back and forth, the young girl turned to the others, horror written across her face.

"Gidget on beach when men with guns arrive, could not do anything, could not warn, so she hid. Little while latter, two men come back to beach, young man and old man, get in boat and leave fast." Nyamo paused for a second before continuing. "Men carrying Sarah, she not moving, they put her in boat and take with them." Here Nyamo burst into tears. "Bad men steal Sarah."

* * *

><p><em>AN 2 – What can be said? This is one of my longer chapters, and I had to cut it off somewhere. It is not just me being evil and leaving you with a cliffhanger; well, maybe being a little bit evil. It's not like you guys didn't know this was coming up, though. *grin*_

_I said earlier that I have three weak reasons for not having updated. Firstly, I'm getting older, and my day job involves physical labor. That means I can't write at home – my recliner is apparently *too* comfortable (the second reason), and if I try to write on my laptop while sitting there and while tired I *will* fall asleep. I wreaked a laptop screen that way. So from now on I'm going to have to write at restaurants and bars if I want to get work done (sounds strange, no?)._

_Thirdly, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (the non-insulin dependent kind). It actually explains a lot, as there have been times over the years I have gotten way too tired for what seemed to be no good reason. It can be controlled by meds and diet, but I still get tired way faster than I did in the past. Lack of energy and an obscenely high caffeine tolerance means I wasn't writing like I used to._

_However, two things brought me back to the keyboard. First, I've always had the desire to continue with this story, even when I lacked the energy to do so. Watching my diet and knowing I can't write at home means I now know what I have to do to write again, since I don't want to let down the fans and followers of this story - I still find it kind of strange that people from all over the world are enjoying this story. Thirty nine chapters down, god knows how many left. Nothing to do but go forward._

_Second thing – there is now a TV Tropes page for Contract Labor. It was put together by a fine young person named Nintendoman01, and is fairly complete and accurate. I plan to help him update the page as needed, but if anyone else wants to jump in on it, have at it. I was happy to see that he had picked up on some of the hidden gems in the story, like who the sailor was that Gidget saved during the Pacific War. The page can be found by googling 'TV Tropes' and 'Contract Labor', and I may put a link on my author page if I can make it stick._

_As part of my itch to write, I am considering doing an AU spin off of Contract Labor – more along the lines of omakes branching off from a critical point. It would be updated even less than Contract Labor, but it might be interesting regardless. The idea is based on something inspired by TV Tropes, and a tendency of Keitaro's – even when attacked, Keitaro does not immediately respond with overwhelming force, not unless someone's (and not him!) are under deadly threat. He gradually ramps up the use of force until he can stop the attack. However, what if during his honor duel Keitaro does what warned Tsuruko about? What if Keitaro fights Motoko with immediate and overwhelming force? If I do this story, it may be a Christmas present, so keep an eye on the FFN Love Hina page or set me on Author Alert. *grin*_

_As of 0030PST 15Dec2014 this story has 196k words, 602 Reviews, 490,234 Views, 57 C2s, 978 Favs and 871 Alerts. Thanks again to all my readers, and to AZ Mark II and PCH for their beta skills and time._

_And now the following is the infamous omakes. Be warned, these are NOT canon to the story, and are mostly based on inappropriate humor. You Have Been Warned. *smile*_**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>My pal and beta AZ made a snarky remark about how to keep sand and water out of rifle barrels when he read this chapter. So blame him for these omakes.<strong>_

**_And if some of the characters (one, really) sound OC, well they are the product of the American educational system. So everything alluded to here in the omake is true, except for the things that aren't. *grin*_**

"Hey Ronin, heads up."

Keitaro raised his gaze from the bowl of boiled rice and roast pork he was eating. While it was common for the expedition group to talk at dinner, there was not much actual speaking that took place while they were eating. There was enough for everyone during their meals, but after a long day of working and/or patrolling, no one wanted to distract themselves from what was in their plates.

The young _ronin_ was sitting cross-legged in front of the bonfire in the middle of their camp. Seta was sitting on top of a log to Keitaro's right, while Yuri was sitting on another log on his left. Nyamo had just finished serving the last of the food and moving to sit across from him next to a dozing Gidget while Gaz was coming up to sit next to the Russian merc.

Seeing the British contractor flick a small packet toward him, Keitaro raised his hand to catch it, only for another hand to snatch it out of the air in front of him. Turning his head to the side, the young Japanese saw that Sarah had been standing beside him, Seta's adoptive daughter presumably having just come out of her tent.

"Uh, Sarah, that's for Keitaro…" For once, the older Brit looked unsure as the American girl examined the packet in the firelight.

"Really?" drawled Sarah. "And why would the dork need rubbers?" Undoing the rubber band holding the packet together, the girl let the strip of condoms unfold accordion-style, extending to about half a meter as the blonde looked at the strip critically while holding it at arm's length.

"For protection." "For water bottle." "For fuckee fuckee." Three answers came simultaneously, but everyone turned to look at the speaker of the last answer, who continued to calmly chew her food.

"I think we know what Nyamo meant by her answer." Seta tried to look composed as he spoke but he still looked both amused and mortified, "but what do you mean by protection, Gaz? I take you don't mean 'protection' the way most people do?"

"Uh, no Seta." Gaz was starting to look embarrassed as well. "I was talking to Keitaro about combat swimmer ops, and told him that in my unit we tied condoms over the muzzles of our long arms to keep sand and water out, to prevent malfunctions."

"Long arms, Gaz?" Sarah was now smirking at the Brit, who was starting to flush.

"I mean our shoulder weapons, like our rifles and machine guns. If something gets in the barrel, it could cause it to explode when we fire."

"Explode? Fire?" Sarah's smirk was now reaching Cheshire proportions.

"Ah, Yuri, what do you mean by water bottle?" It was obvious that Gaz was now trying to redirect attention to his colleague, given how red his face was.

"In Russian military, taught in survival training that condom can be used to carry water when don't have canteen. Can hold up to one liter of water." Yuri shook a Marlboro cigarette out of a pack before lighting it with an old Zippo lighter. "Can also use to wrap and carry detonators, or when setting explosives underwater."

By this point, Sarah had ripped open one of the wax paper wrappers and taken the round rubber circle out. Fumbling slightly, she managed to unroll it before holding the limp cylinder between two fingers and squinting at it for a long moment. "I don't see it," she finally announced. "You want to give a demonstration, Yuri?"

"NO!" This time all the adults answered in perfect unison. Sarah pouted as a result before perking up again.

"Hey Nyamo, how come you know about 'fuckee-fuckee'?" The young American was relentless in her questions, much to her father's chagrin.

"Bad sickness in Thailand, passed through fuckee-fuckee. Government always say to use condoms, have posters all over show how to use, even have ads on radio every 15 minutes, telling people to use condoms. Clinics give away for free, no question, man, woman, boy, girl." Nyamo was scraping up the last of her food from her bowl by this point, her expression calm as always.

"Nyamo, why do you call it 'fuckee-fuckee', it's 'fucking', you know that." The adults nearly choked at Sarah's statement, but they still weren't prepared for the island girl's response.

"Fuckee-fuckee is what tourist men call it, mama-sans and papa-sans too." The adults knew immediately what Nyamo was talking about – she was referring to the sex tourists who came to South East Asia looking and paying for services and partners that back home were much more expensive or just flat out illegal. The mama-sans and papa-sans she mentioned was a much more innocuous version of the word 'pimp'.

"Eh. Here." Sarah tossed the remaining strip of condoms toward Keitaro, who barely managed to catch it. "I bet you don't even know how to use them, dork."

"Sarah… you don't really know what the word 'dork' means, do you?" Gaz asked, his lips twitching.

"Sure I do. It means geek, nerd, weenie." Sarah was now stretching the unrolled condom between her hands. Keitaro slumped slightly at hearing that Sarah thought of him that way.

"Nowadays, it might mean that. But actually, it's an old English whaling term. What it actually refers to is a whale's penis." Gaz managed to keep a straight face while saying this.

Sarah let one of the ends of the condom slip, and it smacked against her opposing hand. Wincing for a moment, the American girl looked at the Brit. "Seriously?"

"Yes. All two meters length of it." Gaz's lips were twitching again.

"Hmm. That's six feet American, right?" Sarah asked. Gaz nodded. "Looks like I have to find a new name for you, since you ain't six feet of _that_." Sarah drawled toward Keitaro before tossing the condom in the rubbish box. Plunking herself down next to her nonplussed father she dug into her dinner bowl, leaving everyone else to drink their tea.

* * *

><p>Mini-omake #1 – American Education Tax Dollars At Work. Yes, I'm Serious<p>

"I bet you don't even know how to use these things, dork. They taught us how to use them in fourth grade back in the US, used to give them out like candy too. God help you if you brought baby aspirin to school, they'd expel you for that, but we got all the rubbers we wanted."

Mini-omake #2 – Animal Parade

"The best laugh we had in middle school was when Suzie Dawson had to do a show-and-tell during the talent show on Parent Night and she picked how to do balloon animals. Of course, she forgot the balloons at home the day of the show, but a quick trip to the nurse's office and she was all set. Didn't know that many different animals can be made with rubbers, but she _earned_ that first prize."

Mini-omake #3 – Boys Will Be Boys

"Of course the boys didn't get into this until someone figured out how to make balloon swords out of the rubbers. The administration didn't know whether to shit or go blind, since we were a zero-tolerance school for drugs and weapons, but there they were fighting with _rubbers_, for crying out loud. The PTA and the press would have gone nuts."

Mini-omake #4 – Non-sticking and Sugar-free!

"What really caused Mrs. Roberts to blow her top was when some Einstein in class started chewing the flavored rubbers like they were gum. You should have seen the look on her face when they started blowing bubbles…"

Mini-omake #5 – The Practical

"_That_ is how you put one of those suckers on! And you only squished three bananas doing it!"

Mini-omake #6 – Yes, We Are Going To Hell For Laughing At This

"And this is how you put it on with no hands!" *murgh*

Mini-omake #7 – If I'm Going To Hell, I'm Going To Hell Playing The Piano

"And for my next trick, I'm going to need an assistant. Nyamo, come on down!"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

V 1.0

_Port of __Thong Sala__, __Koh Pha Ngan__ Island, _  
><em>Surat Thani Province, <em>  
><em>Gulf of Thailand <em>  
><em>Early July<em>  
><em>Mid day <em>  
><em>(day after pirate attack)<em>

_**A/N 1: Contains fighting and a scene of gross physical abuse/torture.**_

The two men were running full tilt through the marketplace, the Thai crashing through stalls and displays, the pursuer following in his wake. Another man was trying to keep up on a moped but stuck to following alongside on paths and roads, causing almost as much havoc.

Bursting out of the marketplace, the Thai teen frantically looked around before starting to sprint along the side of the market toward the port. He knew that he could not run through the open square toward the government buildings in spite of having relatives working there that could protect him, as not only could the foreigner chasing him catch up – even running through the marketplace he had been able to close the distance between them – the other man on the moped could literally run him down.

Dodging through the blaring cars and trucks in the roadway, the Thai teen ran up to a three meter chain link fence surrounding the port loading facility and almost without slowing down scaled it and dropped to one knee trying to catch his breath. That was a bad move, as his chaser saw him through the fence and ran toward him, intent on replicating his move. Sobbing under his breath – his chest was on fire from all this unaccustomed running, and his broken jaw did not help – the Thai teen began running again, intent on losing his pursuer among all the stacks of shipping containers.

Seeing a stack of wooden pallets alongside a container, the teen had an inspired thought and quickly climbed to the top of the stack and from there jumping to the top of the container. From that container he ran to another higher container and jumped up, his hands barely gaining purchase on the top edge but enough to allow him to pull himself up. He repeated this again so he was on a third level container before finally crouching down, trying to get his breathing under control. All he had to do was hide on top of the high stack of containers so his pursuer could not see him from a lower level and wait him out. After he was sure he was clear he could hit his family up for some money and go visit some distant relatives for a while. With the payday he and his uncle had just come across, getting out of Samui for a long while sounded like a great idea.

Just as his breath was slowing down, the teen heard scrabbling sounds from the far end of the container he was on. To his horror, hands appeared on the edge, then a dark haired head, then a face wearing dark glasses looking right at him as his pursuer pulled himself up. Springing to his feet, the teen ran and jumped to the next stack of containers alongside the one he was currently on, as they were stacked about a double arms width apart. His pursuer did the same, the chase now resembling a demented case of leap frog.

This continued for about five minutes and almost three dozen leaps before what looked to be a stroke of luck occurred for the Thai teen. The loading and unloading of the container ships had continued throughout this chase, and the two had finally wound up in one of the active work areas. The teen had almost been literally cornered at the corner of a large group of container stacks when the Thai had seen a large forklift moving to pick up the container. Crouching down, the teen was not seen by the forklift driver until the container was clear of the stack and moved over to the other side of the roadway. Upon seeing the teen, the driver immediately stopped the forklift and started shouting and waving his fist at the teen, but at that point the teen had jumped from the container to another stack it was alongside.

Turning back, the teen could see his pursuer was standing at the edge of the previous stack of containers. The distance between the two groups of stacks was twenty five meters, it was way too far to jump. As his pursuer would have to climb or drop down from his stack of containers and climb up a stack of the group he was on, all the teen had to do was get out of sight long enough and there would be no way for the pursuer to find and catch up to him. He was home free.

Laughing, the Thai teen gave his pursuer the middle finger and turned to start running away when he saw something that made him stop and turn back. His pursuer had backed away from the edge to where he was half down the length of the container. Instead of climbing or jumping down, the pursuer bowed his head for a long moment and then looked up, fixing his prey with a stare apparent even through his dark glasses. Shockingly, he then began running toward the edge of the container, in the direction of the teen he was chasing.

Frozen in disbelief, the teen would only watch as his pursuer sprinted toward the impossible gap between then, and when his foot hit the edge, instead of flying forward or falling down, his pursuer… disappeared.

* * *

><p>Keitaro Urashima was not a very good runner, at least in his mind. He ran when he had to, for cardio fitness if nothing else. In school he had been careful to be in the middle of the pack when they had their track sports rotation; the last thing he wanted was to be drafted for the school track team and add that activity to his intensive school and college prep studies as well as his martial arts practice. But here he was now, his heart beating like crazy, his lungs pumping like a bellows and his legs burning like they were on fire as he sprinted after his target, dodging both people in the way and objects his prey was running around, over and through.<p>

His target was running like the devil himself was chasing him. After a frantic morning of searching the port shantytown for the young man in question, mostly by the dual expedient of offering American twenty dollar bills to the semi-cooperative and slamming others repeatedly face-first into concrete block walls, Keitaro and Gaz had finally gotten a fix on their quarry. And of course, the first thing that had happen was for the swollen-faced young man to glance over and see another young man approaching him, and their target _**knew**_. No matter that Gaz was sitting on a rented moped a few yards and out of easy sight, that the man looking at him was wearing a tropical shirt and shorts with dark glasses on his face and no expression, the Thai teen _**knew**_ that the other man was hunting for _**him**_, and immediately bolted.

Finally, just when Keitaro thought that he had finally cornered his prey on top of the containers, it looked as though his target was going to get away after all. Now that the Thai teen knew that he was being searched for, he would crawl into a deep dark hole and stay there. And while he could eventually be found again, by that point it would be far too late for Sarah.

Seeing the teen laughing and flipping him off from the other group of stacks caused something to snap inside Keitaro. He knew this was the person that was responsible for Sarah's kidnapping. He was the only person available that could tell them where the American girl was now – the blonde teen was literally too valuable to keep in a backwater island like Koh Samui. If the teen managed to get away now, Sarah would be gone forever.

Moving back to the middle of the container he was on, Keitaro bowed his head as he searched inside himself. Finding the familiar but sealed core within, he concentrated. This was the reason he had been clumsy when he was younger, why sometimes he would almost trip on air, why he had to dedicate himself to countless hours of _tai chi_ in order to have anything resembling normal coordination. There was no way to release the seals either quickly or safely, but there was one thing that he could do with the _chi_ energy he did have access to, energy to perform a last-ditch technique.

Looking up and glaring at his prey, Keitaro felt the _chi_ inside him start to burn. His chest, his arms, his legs were all on fire when he finally started to move. Sprinting toward the edge of the container, his eyes were fixed on the frozen teen 25 meters away across open air, the _ronin_ had only one thought on his mind, one word on his lips.

Feeling his foot hit the edge of the container, Keitaro whispered "_**shunpo**_…_**"**_ and with a loud crack disappeared.

_Todai Expedition Site_  
><em>Koh Tao Island, <em>  
><em>Surat Thani Province, <em>  
><em>Gulf of Thailand <em>  
><em>Early July<em>  
><em>late evening<em>  
><em>(day before, right after pirate raid)<em>

"Goddamnit Yuri, let me treat you! It doesn't have to end like this!" Gaz was trying to convince the Russian merc to let him treat his wounds, only for the man to keep pushing him away.

"Leave me be, Gaz. You have more important things to do." Yuri jerked his chin toward Seta, who was laying on an improvised litter a short distance away. Gaz had given the wounded Todai professor a field blood transfusion with Keitaro being the donor. With great reluctance and at the young man's urging, Gaz had transfused two pints of blood before disconnecting the IV setup. Keitaro had wound up looking more than a little pale, but he insisted he was all right. However, Seta was looking a bit better, with more color on his face and the bleeding stopped for the moment.

After hearing Gidget's and Nyamo's shocking announcement, Gaz and Keitaro had immediately hauled Seta and Yuri out of the cave and headed toward the Higgins boat, intent on pursuing the escaping pirates, only to be brought up short at the sight of the boat. Apparently the tide had been going out when Gaz had beached the boat, so the Higgins boat was now completely out of the water on the sandy beach, as well as the remaining three pirate speed boats. There was no way to push the Higgins boat across the sand, and even if they managed to get the speedboats afloat and hook up tow lines to the Higgins boat, they would still not be able to refloat their own vessel. Taking a speedboat to Samui was out of the question as well, as the boats had no navigation gear, and even if they transferred fuel and topped off the tanks, would still not have the range to reach the bigger island. Pirate speed boats usually operated in tandem with a larger mother ship that would tow and fuel them, so there was no need for extended range for the smaller boats.

Given that they would have to wait a minimum of ten to twelve hours before the tide would come back in and the water would be high enough to refloat the Higgins boat, there was nothing the contractors could do but wait. Of course, this did not keep Gaz from bursting into a long string of curses in at least a half dozen languages, apparently both extensive and vile enough to impress Yuri, who's time in the Russian military had exposed him to practically every form of cursing and vulgarity possible, at least in Russian and some allied languages.

After Gaz had calmed down, he had turned to Keitaro and helped move Seta and Yuri to the tree line, then directed Keitaro to try and scrounge up any undamaged gear and possessions from the ruined tents. Moving back toward the two wounded men, Gaz summoned Nyamo and Gidget, and using the islander girl as a go-between, carefully questioned the giant turtle as to what she had seen of the pirates. This was more than a little difficult; although Gidget had intelligence at a level between dolphins and gorillas, she did not think the same way that humans did. Even so, after about a half hour of simple yet extensive questions, Gaz was able to get as much out of the turtle as he could.

Leaving Nyamo to watch over the two wounded men, Gaz moved toward his younger compatriot, who had just finished stacking the pitiful few bags of belongings he managed to recover. "What did you find?" Gaz asked in a clipped tone.

"Most of the tents burned down." Keitaro wiped his forehead with his arm as he spoke. "I don't think they got away with much if the only ones who escaped were the ones that grabbed Sarah, but it looks like a Coleman lantern got hit and the rest of the tents caught fire as well. Seta's tent was the epicenter, everything there is gone, clothes, gear, electronics. The really valuable stuff we still have because it was hidden away." Seta had taken duplicates of their paperwork, some credit cards and about ten thousand dollars American and buried it in a steel and plastic waterproof lock box a short distance past the tree line but still in sight of Seta's tent. "Yuri and your tents caught fire, but I was able to save your bags, everything else in the tents is gone. Nyamo is such a neat freak and has so little that even though her hut caught fire and collapsed, her bedroll and duffle came out of it intact. Sarah's tent went up completely, nothing was recoverable there. My tent was burned up, my duffle was scorched but intact, my paperwork and books went up though. And the supply tent went up completely, including the weapon footlocker. That was actually the worst since all the ammo cooked off in the fire. What little is left of the tent looks like Swiss cheese now." The young Japanese man looked toward the rest of their group. "How are Yuri and Seta-sensei doing?"

"Seta's stable, I managed to get the bleeding to stop, but he is still going to need surgery for the chest wound. It looks like the bullet in his leg didn't hit the bone directly, lucky bastard. If it had been a solid hit, the bone would have been smashed to pieces and he would have probably lost the leg. Yuri…" Here it was Gaz's turn to rub his head, "The dumb bastard won't let me treat him more than he is. His chest wound is worse than Seta's, he's actually coughing up blood, but he put plastic wrap over the wound so the lung will inflate properly. What's worse, the round clipped his spine so his legs aren't working right. It could be temporary hydrostatic shock from the bullet, but it could be actual physical damage instead. I think I know what that damn Russian is thinking, if he really does have spinal damage he would not want to live with it," Gaz finished saying. Looking at the younger man, the Briton could see on his face a look that he recognized. "I can tell you don't want to tell me something, just spill."

Sighing, Keitaro reached across his tactical vest to one of the pouches. "After I finished checking the tents, I went and dragged those two dead pirates in the tent area into the jungle, I didn't want to leave them in the open." Pulling open the flap, he pulled out a late model Glock pistol with a satin nickel slide over the black polymer frame and handed it over the puzzled Brit. "I checked them to see if there was anything of interest, and I found that."

Gaz frowned. "This is an expensive pistol for some raggedy pirate to have, Keitaro." While firearms and especially handguns were cheap and easy to purchase in Southeast Asia, it was mostly war surplus from the various conflicts in the area, all the way back to the Pacific War. Even police officers carried WWII arms, mostly American GI .45 pistols and Vietnam-era M16 rifles. Fancy handguns like the one he was holding were available but usually at double or triple the purchase price in the West.

"I thought so as well. Then I cut open their pockets and found this as well. Please tell me it's not what I think it is." Reaching into his vest, Keitaro pulled out a thin leather wallet and passed it to Gaz.

Dreading what he would find, Gaz flipped the wallet open to see that it was a credentials case holding two laminated ID cards. One card had nothing but Thai script on it, but the other card was a photo ID with an elaborate coat of arms, one with both Thai script and the English words "ROYAL THAI POLICE" embossed on it. "Well, shit."

"That's just about what I said." Keitaro said with an unsmiling expression. "That man also had a newer M-16 rifle with him, and was dressed a little better than the rest of the rest of the pirates. He was wearing a tropical shirt, shorts and sneakers, everyone else was wearing t-shirts, cut off jeans, and sandals. I'm pretty sure this man was in charge, obviously."

"Obviously," Gaz echoed, thinking furiously. Things were getting worse faster than a bunch of drunken bootnecks and paras running into each other in a bar on leave. He had known that the local constabulary was corrupt to a large extent, but this meant that they could not involve the police at all, since they probably worked with the now dead pirates and would not react well to how they got that way. Not that he expected them to do much, since even if they had not been involved with the pirate group, they or their bosses were almost certainly getting paid off by them. But he had been hoping that they could take Seta and Yuri to the government hospital in Koh Samui, but with this revelation they would probably have to take them to the mainland or maybe even to Bangkok, if not out of the country before they could consider themselves relatively safe.

Looking back at his solemn compatriot, Gaz realized he had information he had to share as well. It was not much, but it was a lead they could follow up on as soon as they managed to get off the island and back to Samui.

"I can't believe it, but I was able to get some information from Gidget with Nyamo's help on the pirates that got away. Never would have thought a turtle could be that smart." Gaz pulled off his Union Jack ball cap and ran his hand over his short brown and grey hair. "Gidget said that one of the pirates was older and looked like the fishermen she normally stays away from, something about them always trying to either catch or kill her. The other bloke I got a better description on, Gidget said that he was not a young boy but not a fisherman, his skin was too pink from the sun. That means he's probably a village or city kid, not one that works on boats. But Gidget said something I don't quite understand. She said the kid's face was too big."

"Too big?" Keitaro blinked at that tidbit.

"Yeah. Gidget could not explain it better than that." Gaz watched Keitaro as he thought for a moment, frowning before looking up at the older man.

"Mind if I take a crack at Gidget?"

"Be my guest." Gaz gestured toward the area where the rest of their group was resting. Before Keitaro could step away the Brit handed the pistol back to him, causing him to raise an eyebrow in a silent question. "Two things to learn here, padawan. First, striping the dead of valuables and keeping them for yourself is a time-honored tradition for mercenaries. That pistol is as good as gold in some areas." The young _ronin_ gave a slight grimace but did not say anything. "The second is that pistol had the serial number stripped off and is now pretty much untraceable. Better to use that for a black flag op in case you have to toss it later on than your government registered sidearm there." Gaz nodded toward Keitaro's own Glock pistol holstered on the side of his armor plate carrier.

After a moment Keitaro nodded in acceptance and tucked the purloined Glock back into the empty pouch. Turning, he walked toward the giant turtle and her companion, Gidget softly crooning while Nyamo wiped the sweat off the brow of a still unconscious Seta. Yuri was sitting up leaning against a tree, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. A small fire lit the scene, the flickering light dancing over everyone's faces.

"Gidget, Nyamo, can I talk to you for a minute?" Keitaro dropped down on one knee in front of the turtle, while the young islander girl sat indian-style next to her friend. "You helped a great deal with what you told Gaz, but I want to see if I can get something more, OK?" The turtle chirped her agreement, while the girl merely nodded.

"This is about the two men that took Sarah, the more information we have on them, the better the chances we can find them. First is going to be the older man. Did he have short hair," here Keitaro pointed at his own head, "or long hair?" This time he motioned toward Nyamo, who had the longest hair among them.

Gidget gave a short chirp and whistle, which Nyamo promptly translated as 'long hair.' A quick give and take determined that the older man had shoulder length grey hair, dark tanned skin, a lined face, and had been wearing a sleeveless white shirt and faded cut-off jeans. What had made the descriptions a little interesting is that Gidget did not know the name of colors per se, but instead would equate them with items and sights she was familiar with. For example, when describing the color black, Gidget would say 'the color of strong burn sand', which took them a few moments to figure out was the black volcanic sand that was present on some island beaches. Meanwhile, Gaz stood nearby taking notes without comment.

After a few minutes, the subject changed to the young man that had taken Sarah. His description turned out to be dark hair worn tied back (Keitaro had almost cracked a grin when Gidget described the boy as having a tail on his head), a pinkish complexion, a faded red t-shirt, jean shorts, and oddly enough, sneakers, which tended toward Gaz's and Keitaro's thought that the kid was not a sailor but probably a town kid.

Finally, the questioning had gotten to the point where Gaz had been puzzled. When Keitaro asked about the kid's face, the turtle had answered that his face was too big for his size, that it looked like it should have been on a larger body. Trying to figure out what Gidget meant by that, Keitaro finally had an inspiration.

"Gidget, was this guy's face big all over?" Keitaro circled his own face with his hand. To speed the questioning, Keitaro and Gidget had settled on a high chirp to signal 'yes' and a lower whistle to signal 'no.' Right now the turtle whistled 'no.'

"Big forehead?" A whistled no. "Big jaw?" A chirped yes. "His jaw was big?" Keitaro moved his hand across his lower face, and to his surprise Gidget whistled no. "Big mouth?" Another whistled no. Keitaro almost scowled in frustration, but managed to keep it from appearing. Giving a sigh of frustration he instead rested his hand on the side of his face, only to jerk it away when Gidget started chirping rapidly. After a moment he realized what the turtle was trying to say. "You mean the *side* of his face is bigger, not his whole face or his jaw!" Gidget happily chirped agreement. "Which side was his face bigger, this side," he touched the right side of his jaw, and the turtle whistled. "Or this side?" On touching the left side of his face the turtle chirped again. Pondering for a moment, Keitaro's thoughts came to a crashing halt as a possible explanation came to mind. Closing his eyes for a long moment, the _ronin_ finally looked up at the curiosity filled faces of Gidget and Nyamo.

"Did the side of his face that was bigger have a different color?" Gidget chirped yes. "Did he have hair there, like a beard?" A whistled no. And now the important question. "What color was it?" Here the turtle whistled and chirped for a few moments,

Nyamo turned to Keitaro to translate the response, a slight frown on her face. "Gidget say that man's face the color of sky when sun goes down, when almost all sunlight is gone."

Keitaro gave a long sigh, an aching tiredness being felt throughout his body. "I think she means the color purple." The color of bruising, of old blood. Turning back to the turtle, he asked the questions to put the last nails in the coffin, "Gidget, did you hear this guy talking? Did he sound different?"

Gidget chirped and whistled for a few moments, and Nyamo promptly translated her answer. "Gidget say man speak strange, sound like mouth full of stones, no could understand what he say."

Bowing his head, Keitaro closed his eyes, feeling the tiredness increase to an almost crushing exhaustion. After a few moments, he looked up to see everyone looking at him, curiosity now on everyone's face, even Yuri. Finally, the young _ronin_ spoke up. "I think I know who the young guy is. It's that kid from the port town that got Sarah drunk and tried to take her. I broke his jaw with a punch when I took her back."

_Port Facility, __Thong Sala__, _  
><em>Koh Pha Ngan<em>_ Island, _  
><em>(day after pirate attack)<em>

Keitaro stared at the snarling face before him, trying to ignore the agony racking his body. Using a high level technique like he just did was bordering on insanity; with most of his _chi _sealed away, forcing what he did have access to would at the least severely burn the _chi_ channels in his body, and in the worst case use up all the life force in his body and kill him, although it looked like just the former had occurred. As it was, the _ronin_ now was going hand-to-hand with a bad guy feeling like someone had poured lava into his veins.

When Keitaro had whispered the name of the _kinjitsu_ as he hit the edge of the shipping container for an eternal moment he had seen nothing but colored streaks. Contrary to what some people would think, _**shunpo**_ was not teleportation; it was using _chi_ to massively increase the speed of a person's movement. In the lower levels of skill it could only be used to move in a straight line, across unobstructed space. More importantly, it was really not supposed to be used to cross _open_ space, like jumping from one shipping container to another across 25 meters of open air. Yet that is what Keitaro had just done, using the edge of the shipping container to push off in a shallow arc that landed him on the same container as the Thai teen he was chasing. And since he had been both not practicing this technique since learning it years ago and doing it while most of his _chi_ was sealed, he was not able to stick the landing, resembling the crashing and burning ski-jumper from that old American sport program. Luckily his tumble had knocked over the Thai teen before he was able to take off again. Unluckily, the Thai started fighting like a scalded cat.

Almost immediately, the fight deadlocked when the Thai's fist rocketed toward his face, and his hand was able to deflect the fist and grab onto the forearm. A punch from the other hand had the same result. And as the two men were sprawled across the top of the shipping container, they wound up rolling around trying to pin the other down, right up to where they both rolled over the edge of the container, dropping down to the next level, falling a distance of three meters and getting the breath knocked out of both of them.

After a few seconds, the Thai teen managed to scrabble to his feet, but just before he took off running Keitaro was able to grab him by the ankle and yank him back down. Seizing his belt and shirt in his hands, the _ronin_ threw the Thai into the adjacent container face first, stunning him long enough to get to his feet, and as soon as the Thai turned, punching him in the gut full force.

Grabbing the doubled over and gasping Thai by his longish hair, Keitaro slammed him face first into the container wall, once, twice, three times, finally producing a shriek of pain from his opponent. Holding his face against the wall for a moment, Keitaro reached into a pocket and drew a balisong knife he had taken off one of the dead pirates, the handles clicking rapidly before he pressed the point of the blade behind the Thai's ear, his struggles instantly halting.

With his off-hand against the back of the Thai's neck to hold him against the wall, Keitaro tried to slow his rapid breathing. After nearly fifteen minutes of extreme physical effort, he was pretty much running on adrenaline at this point. He was not about to drop out from exhaustion, but he would not be able to go full out for much longer.

Looking at the panting Thai, Keitaro could see the side of his face not pressed against the wall. Gidget had been right, the young man's face was swollen on one side to the point where his head looked out of balance. His skin was flushed red from all the running and fighting, but the injured side of his face was dark purple and green, with massive bruising and swelling consistent with a broken jaw.

Finally getting his breathing under control, Keitaro spoke, his voice raspy. "Where's the girl? Where's Sarah?"

"What the fuck you talking about, man? I don't know no Sarah…" The teen's words became a shriek as Keitaro took the point of the knife away from behind his ear and instead pressed the flat of the blade hard against the bruised and swollen jaw.

After about ten seconds of screams the _ronin_ took the blade off the jaw and put it behind his ear before speaking again. "Sarah, the blonde haired blue eyed girl you tried to steal away by getting her drunk in town. The girl you were seen taking yesterday from Koh Tao Island, you pirate piece of shit!" Keitaro was trying to maintain his calm, but it was slowly slipping as evidenced by his cursing.

"Fuck you man! I didn't do shit!" Now that he was listening, Keitaro could hear that Gidget was right about the other part of her description of the teen; it did sound like he was trying to talk with a mouthful of rocks.

"Someone SAW you, you idiot. They described you to a T! And you already tried taking Sarah before! I should have killed you that day instead of just punching you!" Upon hearing Keitaro's words, the Thai was able to turn his head far enough to get a look at him before cursing and starting to struggle again.

"You fucking bastard! You the one that fucked up my face! You ruined my life, you fucking shit!" The Thai started cursing in his own language before Keitaro pressed his face into the wall and the teen started screaming again.

"How did I fuck up your life?" Keitaro was not really interested, but he need to know how the teen thought if he was going to get intel from him.

"You broke my jaw, I couldn't pay to get it fixed right! Girls just laugh at me now, tourists don't want to hire guide that looks like I do! All I do now is work on boats in hot sun, pay there for shit!" The teen was gasping now. "Everyone laughs at me now, it's all your fault! Fuck you!"

Keitaro continued holding the teen against the wall as he thought. After a few moments he decided to take it up a notch, as the teen was apparently angry enough at him that his current approach was not working. Giving himself a short sharp nod, the _ronin_ pulled the knife away, closed it and put it back in his pocket before drawing back and punching the Thai hard in the kidney.

Throwing the gasping teen down on the roof of the container they were on, Keitaro dropped his knee onto the small of his back to hold him in place and put him into an arm bar, cranking it up until the Thai was gasping again in pain. Using his left hand on the Thai's wrist to hold the arm bar in position, his right hand moved over to the other's hand and stopped there.

"Once again, where is Sarah? Where is the girl?" Keitaro asked, his voice even.

"Fuck you, asshole! I'm not telling you shit!" The Thai snarled, not realizing that he had essentially admitted to being a part of Sarah's kidnapping instead of denying it as he did before. Which made Keitaro feel a tiny bit less guilty about what he did next; reaching down to the Thai's hand, he wrapped his fingers around the smallest finger and with a sudden motion broke it like a twig.

Pressing down with his knee, Keitaro maintained the arm bar, holding the Thai down as he flopped and screamed, the volume and pitch increasing as the _ronin_ slowly worked the broken digit around, feeling the fractured ends grind against each other. After about 30 seconds he stopped, and he gave the man under his knee a few moments to catch his breath after screaming that whole time before he asked the questions again. "Where is Sarah? Where is the girl?"

"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you and your entire family!" The Thai started to go into some detail about Keitaro's legitimacy, lineage, and ancestry before he was interrupted by the _ronin_ taking hold of his ring finger and repeating the process.

After letting the Thai catch his breath from almost screaming his throat raw a minute later, Keitaro spoke quietly. "You know, you have six fingers, two thumbs, and not a lot of time left. Just tell me what I want to know and I'll let you go. I promise. Otherwise I'll start using my knife on those fingers of yours."

"Fuck you…" the Thai moaned. Keitaro could tell that he was at the breaking point, one more push was needed. Regretfully, he reached down and took hold of both the middle and index fingers and snapped them as well.

After the Thai stopped screaming and started sobbing, Keitaro said softly, "Are you going to talk now?" The Thai nodded, still sobbing. Moving slowly, Keitaro stood up and pulled the Thai up with him, releasing the arm bar and once he got him on his feet, put him in a relaxed arm lock, one that could break his wrist in half a second.

"Tell me, where is Sarah? Is she still here on the island?" By standing, Keitaro could look at the Thai in the face, not that he was looking back at him.

"No. Girl like that stand out too much, too many people talk, even in Samui. Too much money to be made. We put her on boat to Surat Thani, they take her by truck to Phuket, she be there by now." The Thai's head was bowed as he spoke.

Keitaro's thoughts started to race. Surat Thani was the capital of the province they were in, but it was not much of a tourist destination, not like Koh Pha Ngan or Koh Samui. Phuket however was a larger town on the west coast of Thailand, and it was a much more popular tourist destination, especially for the sex trade.

"What is the name of the person receiving her in Phuket?" Keitaro was focusing on the Thai's face, and even so he could start feeling tremors on the arm he was holding.

"Pavel Popov, Russian I think, owns bars in Phuket. He businessman, involved in many things. Likes young girls, always offering high price for untouched."

At this point Keitaro had to consciously calm himself. The last thing he wanted to do is scare the teen before he finished giving up all the intel. He only had one or two questions left though.

"Nothing was done to Sarah before you send her away?" The way the _ronin's_ voice was going flat should have been a warning, but the Thai did not pick up on it.

"No, like I said, get higher price for untouched. We knock out with ether, so she no struggle and damage self. Anyone try to touch under underwear, boss get angry, beat up, no get money. Can always pay for whores with money from job, plus get discount from boss' girls." There was a faint smile on the Thai's face, as though he was reminiscing.

Keitaro blinked slowly before sighing. "How much money did you get for Sarah? And who is the one who paid you?"

"Blonde girls not common in Thailand, young tourist girls rare too. Both together, high finder fee. Double pay, so $500 American. Can use to get face fixed, when uncle get back from Surat Thani." The smile was getting larger on the Thai's face, which still looked grotesque from the swelling and bruising.

"Your uncle a fisherman? The other one on the raid on the island?" Keitaro was still focused on the teen, but now he kept an ear out for a particular sound.

"No, uncle is lieutenant in Royal Thai Police, he part of marine patrol. Get cut of all business, legal, illegal. He take blonde girl to Surat Thani in police boat, one of his sergeants on raid with us."

Keitaro swore mentally. Their suspicions had been confirmed in a spectacular way. But now the sound he was waiting for was approaching, and it was time to put the endgame into play.

Moving both himself and the Thai to the edge of the container, they could see a forklift approaching on the access road. The container it was carrying was in a high position so the driver could see clearly in front of the forklift, but the load was blocking the driver's sight of the top of the stacked containers where Keitaro and the Thai were standing.

"I'm going to keep my word and let you go, but if I ever see you again, I'm going to kill you, understand?" The Thai nodded frantically. "We're too high for you to just drop down," they were on top of a second level container, "so as soon as this forklift goes by I'm going to ease you down and you follow after it. I'm going in the opposite direction, so don't look back." The Thai nodded again and turned toward the edge of the container, watching the approaching forklift.

Standing behind and to the side of the Thai, the two could see the large vehicle approaching, the enormous ridged tires stirring up dust on the hard packed dirt road. The driver was not visible behind the load, which meant he could not see them either.

"Ready…" As the Thai waited for the forklift to pass, he was pushed over the edge of the container, falling six meters and landing facing downwards in the road.

Gasping in pain, as he had landed hard on the hand with the broken fingers, the Thai was able to flop around so he was facing up but still on his back, just in time to see the enormous ridged tire that ran over his chest and head.

* * *

><p>The <em>ronin<em> walked through the facility gate, carefully brushing the dust from his clothes. Turning right, he walked up to a man sitting on a moped next to the chain link fence, an older man wearing ballistic sunglasses and a ball cap with a Union Jack patch on it, a tropical shirt untucked over cargo pants. Keitaro stopped and stood there, the emotionless look on his face matching Gaz's.

"How much did you see?" Keitaro broke the silence first.

"From when you took your flying leap." Gaz opened his hand to show a monocular scope. "Not bad for an amateur."

"The chase or afterwards?" Keitaro tilted his head slightly.

"Both." Gaz paused for a moment before speaking again. "Tell me you got actionable intelligence?"

"Yes. Both the good and bad kind." Keitaro watched as Gaz paused for a moment again before nodding slightly.

"Get on, we can't hang around here." Gaz waited until Keitaro had gotten on the moped before asking the last question. "And that last part?"

Keitaro looked straight ahead as he gave his answer. "Black flag op."

* * *

><p><em>AN 2: So roughly two months have gone by, when I wanted it to be only one. Cest la vide. *sigh*_

_We finally get to see what is haunting Keitaro now that he is, to borrow a phrase used by American troops during the Vietnam War, back in the World. It is not just the fact that there is blood on his hands, it's how it got there. And while he can justify to himself at that time what he did, hindsight is always 20/20. This is one of those things that Keitaro does not want to __**ever**__ tell anyone about, and this is only the beginning._

_Some of you may be thinking that Keitaro is very out of character, being this violent and brutal with no emotional reaction. I will explain it in greater detail in later chapters, but there is a reason for Keitaro being this cold-blooded, and it is not just that a fourteen year old girl has just been taken to be sold into sex slavery. If any of you have seen the movie __**Taken**__ with Liam Neeson, you will remember the line about how if a victim is not recovered within four days, they are essentially gone forever. I've been informed that in Real Life the time line is actually __**four hours**__ from the time the girl is kidnapped to when the girl is 'broken in' (yes, I am being euphemistic) and sold, usually in that order. After being stranded on Koh Tao for almost twelve hours, Keitaro and Gaz are literally racing the clock, and after hearing the other contractors talk around the campfire about previous experiences, he has a good idea on what has to be done if they want to recover Sarah, let alone in one piece. There is also something else to explain Keitaro's behavior, and it is tied to his family training and his chi core being sealed. Keep in mind that even though the story is taking a dark turn, there are going to be elements of humor in it, especially once Keitaro, Seta and Sarah leave Thailand._

_Thanks again to AZ MII and PCH for their mad beta skillz._

_As of 0015 PST 17Feb15, this story now has 204K words, 526,482 (!) Views, 623 Reviews, 59 C2 listings, 1,022 (yeah!) Favorites listings and 921 Alert listings. Winner of Most Unusual Place to read this story is the Ukraine (in the middle of a war they are reading MY story?!). Most Numerous (Non-Primary English Speaking) Readers are Sweden for January and Poland for February._

_Thanks again to everyone reading this story._


End file.
